Eleven people were injured after an explosive blast rocked a Bronx apartment building on Wednesday, blowing off doors and collapsing part of a floor around lunchtime.
FDNY officials said the five-alarm blaze sent more than 300 firefighters and EMS members to the building along East 209th Street. The first 911 calls reported an explosion around 12:30 p.m.
Of the 11 people hurt, four were firefighters. At least two adults were being treated for serious injuries, as well as a child.
On Wednesday, officials at the building told News 4 that an adult was found dead in the building. No further information was made available regarding their identity.
Flames were already pouring out of multiple floor windows when the first crews arrived. Multiple doors were blown out, making it harder to contain the fire, ultimately spreading to more parts of the building, officials said.
Nearly a dozen people, civilians and firefighters, were injured on Wednesday when a 5-alarm fire blew off doors and collapse an apartment in the Bronx.
The fire spread to at least three floors. FDNY officials said firefighters had to pull back at one point after a partial collapse in one third floor unit.
At least 18 people were displaced, the FDNY said at an afternoon press conference. The fire was still not under control, and crews were expected to be on the scene through the evening.
According to officials, both the location of the fire and the hot weather conditions made firefighting operations difficult.
As of 4 p.m., a cause of the blast was still unknown. Con Ed said power and gas were cut to the building after the explosion.
Firefighters are battling a five-alarm blaze at an apartment building in the Bronx.
Footage the FDNY posted to X showed angry orange flames through the window of one of the apartments; the building’s exterior appeared charred by flames and smoke.