On Thursday, March 26 at around 3:15pm, there was an explosion in the East Village neighborhood of New York City that leveled two buildings and injured at least 19. So far two people have been reported missing with evidence pointing to a gas leak as the source of the blast.
121 West 2nd Ave, Gone
The explosion occurred at 121 West 2nd Avenue. The fire from the blast destroyed the building and also led to the eventual collapse of 123 West 2nd Avenue next door.
Officials said that due to the raging fire, 119 and 125 Second Avenue, were damaged, with the former in danger of collapse.
Gas Leak To Blame
New York City Mayor DeBlasio issued a statement at the scene, noting that “preliminary evidence suggests a gas-related explosion” was the cause of the carnage. Con Edision visited the site of the blast and instructed the contractor about fixes that needed to be made. However, there were no reports of a gas leak at the time of the visit.
Sushi Park
Plumbing and gas work was being done at a sushi restaurant on the ground floor of 121 Second Ave. called Sushi Park. Reportedly, gas was smelled just before the blast by people working at the restaurant and bystanders.
7 Alarms
Over 250 firefighters responded to the fire. With the first trucks arriving about three minutes after calls to 911 began pouring in.
Heroes
Heroes show during tragedies. An off-duty firefighter scaled a fire escape to help a woman who was trying to escape the flames. See the video below (~2:00 mark).
2 People Missing
While fortunately there have been no reported deaths, at least two people are missing. One man, Nicholas Figueroa, was thought to be on date at the restaurant while the other is a busboy/restaurant worker.
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Photo: Twitter/@ProbablyPavesh
