3 National Grid workers suffer burns to face, arms in Brooklyn gas explosion
WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (WABC) -- An explosion injured three National Grid workers in Brooklyn investigating a gas leak.
The workers were in the process of excavating and figuring out the cause of the leak around 1 a.m. in the Williamsburg section when something sparked. Cellphone video shows flames shooting out of a hole in the street.
Three workers were burned on their arms and in the face on Union Avenue at South 2nd Street. Their injuries are considered non-life threatening.
"I smelled gas previously before it exploded," said Tyrone, a resident. "I smelled gas, and I didn't know what was going on."
Work on the gas lines had been going on for a few days. Still, some neighbors say they had no idea that extensive work was going on.
"I never received any notice in my building that this kind of extensive work was happening on our street, so it's kind of alarming," said Zuni Madera, a neighbor.
The mother of two is one of many woken up by the sound of jackhammers, only to find out that their water had been shut off as a precaution.
"There's no water this morning, and it smells like gas, and I have twin toddlers in my apartment," Madera said.
"I get into an attitude if I can't take a shower in the morning, but hey, they got to do what they got to do. What else are you going to do? Things happen," said Pete Silva, building superintendent.
The injured workers were taken to the Cornell Burn Unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
One worker is being held for observation, and two others were treated and released.
Crews remained working at the scene Friday morning, searching for the cause of the leak.
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