Investigators confident natural gas did not spark Brooklyn apartment explosion

BOROUGH PARK, N.Y. (WABC) -- Some businesses finally re-opened Wednesday across the street from Saturday's apartment building explosion in Brooklyn that killed two people and injured three others.

But officials said the investigation into the blast on 13th Avenue near 42nd Street in Borough Park is going in a new direction.

"The marshals are very good at this, they've taken many samples..samples went to the lab," said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Nigro said investigators are confident natural gas did not spark the fiery blast.

"There may have been another cause, which we're looking at," said Nigro. "It could be liquid, some form of liquid, yes."

Initially officials were looking at gas after being told a stove had been removed from Franchezka Figueroa's 2nd floor apartment.

But records show, back in June, gas had been shut off to that unit.

Nigro confirmed fire marshals are also looking into whether this was intentionally set.

"That's scary, I don't know what happened I hope it was just an act of god that was meant to be, we'll see," said business owner Stephen Goldstein.

Stephen owns a hat shop right next to the now demolished buildings.

He sat in on the first community meeting today where officials mapped out how they will move forward with plans to let folks back into their businesses and apartments.

It's Figueroa's home that is at the center of this investigation. The mother of 3, feared dead in the explosion, was being evicted from her apartment, which sits right across the street from Zissy Kish's shop.

Wednesday was her first day back in the area.

"Just devastating, two major businesses across the street and it's just gone," said Kish.

Surveillance video of the blast is perhaps the first big clue that this wasn't a typical gas-feed explosion. The video shows a simultaneous blast and fireball blowing out of the second floor of the apartment of Figueroa.

When comparing it to the deadly gas-leak explosion in the East Village last March, there's a huge blast but initially no fireball. Minutes later, the gas-filled building turned into a burning inferno. In Saturday's blast, there was the initial fireball but few flames afterward.

Investigators now believe that's because there was probably no gas leak to feed a fire. The investigation is now focused on the intentional setting off of the explosion. Debris is being tested for any chemicals that may have been used as an accelerant. While all possibilities are being looked at, there is now renewed interest in Figueroa's financial debt, which we are told was considerable.

She was being evicted from her apartment for being months behind on rent and her gas had been turned off back in June. Just prior to the explosion on Saturday afternoon, the mother of three and hairdresser had texted her children with what one source described as farewell messages. But Figueroa's sister told Eyewitness News that she "does not know whether she was in debt." But she insisted that her "sister did not commit suicide."

Figueroa's body was located in the rubble Monday.

A neighbor, Ligia Puello, 64, was found in the hallway on the day of the explosion and pronounced dead at the scene from severe burns.

Debris also struck two men and a 9-year-old who were walking on the sidewalk at the time. They are expected to survive.

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