Fire marshals are now investigating a Bronx gas explosion at a high-rise apartment building early on Saturday morning that left one person dead and 15 others seriously injured.
The FDNY said the blast occurred just before 12:10 a.m. on Jan. 24 as firefighters were investigating a gas odor emanating from the upper floors of 3485 Bivona St., a high-rise apartment building within the Boston Secor Houses.
The explosion caused “severe structural damage in six apartments” on each of the 15th and 16th floors, according to FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito. The blast also ignited a massive four-alarm fire that spread to 10 apartments on the 16th and 17th floors.
A video on the Citizen app showed a ball of flame pouring from the upper floors of the apartment building, lighting the night sky in an orange glow.
Complicating firefighting efforts were the frigid temperatures gripping the city, as the mercury plunged into the low teens and single digits.
“It was a very, very dangerous operation for our firefighters, who performed incredibly on those upper floors, searching and protecting civilian life,” Esposito said.
The Fire Department said one person died in the blast; their identity has yet to be released. Fifteen other victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
Scores of families living in the building were evacuated; the American Red Cross is currently providing relief to 175 residents, ABC7 reported.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani — already busy prepping for a major winter storm set to hit New York on Sunday — met with families at a nearby school that served as a Red Cross reception center.
“We are working with the Red Cross to support displaced residents,” Mamdani wrote on X (Twitter). “My heart is with everyone affected, and I’m deeply grateful to our first responders.”
The fire was brought under control before 3 a.m. Saturday. The cause of the fire is now under investigation. The city’s Department of Buildings is also examining the structure’s stability.
