News

Why Did The East Village Building Collapse?

by Jenny Hollander

On Thursday at roughly 3.30 p.m. ET, a building in the East Village of New York partially collapsed after an explosion. The incident took place on 7th Street and 2nd Avenue, and witnesses on Twitter posted pictures of smoke and flames reaching far into the air. DNA Info reported that Con Edison said that work being done on the building did not pass inspection shortly before the explosion, and mayor Bill de Blasio said it appeared to be a gas leak

A FDNY spokesperson told The New York Times: "It was probably a gas thing, it looks like ... But that’s not confirmed.”

It's not immediately clear how many casualties there are; police on the scene did not confirm the number of injured, but it's thought that at least 10 people are injured, and at least three critically. Several New York fire engines were dispatched to help contain the blaze. The building was landmarked, added DNA Info. On Twitter, FDNY wrote: "MAN 2-ALARM 125 2 AVE, MIXED OCCUPANCY MAJOR BUILDING COLLAPSE."

Last March, a gas explosion in Harlem, at the other end of Manhattan, caused two buildings to partially collapse, killing seven people and injuring dozens others. Con Edison said that it had been responding to reports of a gas leak in the building when the incident occurred, and the Metro-North railroad service was delayed for the day due to debris on the tracks.