NEW YORK, October 06, SPA — An explosion Saturday at an apartment building in the Harlem neighborhood of New York hurt 17 people, including four children and a firefighter, and spewed pieces of the building out onto the street, officials said according to The Associated Press.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said a gas leak apparently caused the explosion, although the local utility said it had no evidence of a leak. The injured included four children, one who was critically hurt, and one infant, Scoppetta said. A firefighter was hurt when debris fell on him when he entered the first floor of the five-story building, Scoppetta said.
Residents said they heard the explosion blocks away and screams coming from the 20-unit building. Witnesses said the explosion blew out some of the building’s walls. Firefighters tossed pieces of drywall in a pile outside the building, while the injured were treated in stretchers on the street