Four people are recovering after an explosion in the basement of an East Flatbush home on Thursday night.
Units responded to numerous 911 calls to an East 37th Street home, between Foster Avenue and Farragut Road, at around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 29. Upon arrival, firefighters found two residences affected and rescued two occupants from a back bedroom.
Fire Department officials said four civilians suffered injuries, three of them with serious burns and respiratory issues. Two victims were rushed to Staten Island University Hospital and another was taken to Kings County Hospital, all in critical condition. The fourth victim refused medical attention at the scene.
The impact of the explosion was so severe that it sent glass and a door frame into the middle of the street.
“I was sitting on the back of my truck, I heard boom, I look over and I see dust and smoke everywhere,” a nearby resident told Brooklyn Paper.
“The residents were screaming for help,” another added. “I didn’t know what was occurring.”
The NYPD Emergency Services Unit assisted in searches of the building. As of Friday morning, Con Edison and the city’s fire marshals are still working to determine the cause of the inferno. The Department of Buildings is also investigating the structure’s stability.
“I was just about to lay down and I heard a loud boom,” another local said. “It shook my house.”
The incident was deemed under control just before 9:30 p.m., but FDNY officials remained at the scene throughout the evening and into Friday morning.
Areas near the home may still be cordoned off and nearby homes may still be without power after Con Edison made cuts to the block following the explosion.
“One of our primary concerns is the structural stability of this particular occupancy,” FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Currao said at the scene. “As a precaution, we’ve also evacuated the attached occupancy to the left and to the right, and shut all of the utilities at the street.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
