Plumber speaks out after vehicle explodes, rattles South Ozone Park neighborhood
SOUTH OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- A car explosion sent debris flying through the air, damaging nearby homes and rattling a South Ozone Park, Queens, neighborhood.
The vehicle exploded in flames on 133rd Street just before 7 a.m. Friday.
Firefighters received numerous calls from worried residents of what sounded like an explosion on their block.
Leaking gas tanks apparently sparked the explosion in the vehicle that was left on the street and parked overnight.
"There were also some lithium-ion batteries that were being stored in the car. They were not compromised, but they were safely overpacked by their hazmat unit. There were five houses that were damaged, and also five vehicles that were damaged. Very fortunately there had been some people on the street that had left the immediately vicinity of this vehicle before this event unfolded," said FDNY Deputy Chief George Healy.
The car is owned by a plumber, Dinell Harricharan, who keeps natural gas and acetylene tanks in the vehicle. He said his brother and mother were planning on getting in the car right after the time it exploded.
Harricharan said his 2011 Infiniti has a sensitive alarm system, and he believes it could have been triggered by a passing car, sparking the explosion.
"Sometimes cars will go by and it won't go off, it will just chirp," he said.
Harricharan wasn't home at the time of the explosion and was shocked when he saw the damage.
"We just have natural gas for the business, but we didn't think anything was leaking because we always secure the tank and make sure it's closed," he said. "We learned it's not safe to have it in the car."
He said he's just grateful that no one was hurt.
"Lucky, glad that no one was injured, and that no one was passing by that was injured," Harricharan said.
It's a devastating loss for his family business. He said they will have to replace the vehicle and all the tools that were being stored in the car.
The Department of Buildings said there doesn't appear to be any structural damage to the homes.
Investigators are looking into whether the tanks were not properly sealed, causing the gas to accumulate in the car.
"They have to be stored upright, they cant be stored on their side, that would be things that are being looked at, especially people in the industry should be very aware of the safety procedures and best practices," Healy said.
The NYPD Bomb Squad was also called in to examine the car.
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