UPDATE: Injury count climbs to 12, including four firefighters

UPDATE: Eight people, including a firefighter, were sent to hospitals after partial building collapse

UPDATE: All of the injured were rushed to New York Presbyterian/Weill Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital.

UPDATE: Rescue was underway on the rooftop of the building.

UPDATE: The FDNY says four people have been taken to a hospital. At least two of them are in serious condition.

At least six people are reported injured after an explosion and fire caused a New York City building collapsed. The New York Post is reporting that “Firefighters are still responding and it’s not yet clear what caused the fiery blast in the five-story mixed commercial and residential building on Pike Street around 12:45 p.m., the FDNY said.”

The building was situated in New York’s Manhattan, and straddled the line between the Lower East Side and Chinatown. The building is thought to have been under construction at the time of the blast and subsequent fire, and at least two people have been taken to the Cornell Burn Unit at New York Presbyterian Hospital, ABC says. The first floor was occupied by businesses and the upper floors were residential apartments.


The number of injured keeps rising but as of right now, according to Reuters, that number is currently set at six. Similarly unknown is the apparent cause of the explosion and fire, though CBS is now reporting that a gas leak might have combusted and been responsible for the aftermath. “Firefighters could be seen pulling a man from the building into the bucket of a raised rescue tower ladder. The man did not appear to be conscious.”

Emergency responders are going floor-by-floor through the building in search of injured residents and possibly clues as to what exactly caused the damage.

Stay tuned to BostInno for the latest updates and developments of the building collapse and explosion. We will be sure to keep you updated as the proper authorities continue to make details publicly available.

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