1 dead, 8 hurt in Bronx apartment building explosion, fire

18 Jan 2022

One person was killed and eight other people were hurt in New York on Tuesday after a residential explosion caused at least a partial building collapse, rendered three structures uninhabitable and sparked a daylong fire, officials sad.

Two people were in serious condition. Five New York City police officers were among those taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

"This tragic and frightening event after the inferno we saw just days ago just really adds the pressure on the Bronx," Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday's incident happened about 3 miles south of the deadly fire at a 19-story residential building on Jan. 9 that killed 17 people. Authorities believe a malfunctioning electric space heater was to blame in that fire

The cause of Tuesday's blast remains under investigation. Officials acknowledged that there was a report of the smell of gas before or around the time of the blast, but any connection to gas is preliminary, they said.

Chief of Fire Operations John Hodgens said three buildings were damaged when firefighters arrived, the fire was raging and three people needed to be rescued.
(NBC News)