2 critical, several injured in gas explosion at Bronx home

Friday, February 19, 2021

2 critical, several injured in gas explosion at Bronx home

CeFaan Kim has an update on a gas explosion that injured several in the Bronx.

MORRIS PARK, Bronx (WABC) -- An adult and a child were critically injured and several others were injured in a gas explosion at a home in the Bronx.

The incident happened at a three-story building at 1520 Paulding Avenue around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

At least 10 people were injured after the explosion on the second floor, including one firefighter.

The two people who were critically injured were taken to Jacobi Hospital. The other victims were said to only have minor injuries.

Six out of the 10 people injured are all children under the age of 18. The youngest was a 5-year-old child with special needs.

One mother was left with no choice but to toss her baby out of a window. A babysitter clutched the child, wrapped in blankets, as her mother followed closely behind.

Neighbor Elvis Copa says the blast shook his house down the block like an earthquake.

"I heard the lady screaming to you know, cause she had the baby right there and I grab the baby," he said. "That was the only option to do it."

And after catching that baby he climbed a ladder and went inside. Firefighters hadn't arrived yet and he heard a woman with a broken leg in need of help.

"I had to do it because a lady was screaming inside," Copa said.

At least eight people were believed to be injured after the explosion on the second floor.

Adriel Sambolin lives in the building and said when he looked up from his phone, his room was upside down.

He checked to see if his grandfather was OK.

"I'm lucky you know, I said what, nothing hit me, and I see all the walls and everything," Miguel Sambolin said.

"He hops out the window, he does his thing, OK he's safe you know, I'm hearing screaming coming from the holes in the wall, 'My baby my baby!' I'm thinking of the kids," Adriel Sambolin said.

The explosion buckled the brick faade and cracked nearly every wall inside. The blast was so powerful it sprayed debris across the street.

One door was even sent flying into a powerline and was still dangling there Thursday night

The building is being evaluated for its structural integrity.

Con Edison said it is working with the FDNY to determine the cause of the blast.

If you smell gas, leave the area immediately and call 911 or call Con Edison 1-800-752-6633.

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