Explosion and fire hit building, injuring 12 in New York.
A large residential building collapsed and was engulfed in flames this Thursday (25) in the East Village neighborhood of New York, injuring 12 people, four of them seriously; witnesses reported a large explosion at the site and an adjacent building also caught fire.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A large residential building collapsed and was engulfed in flames on Thursday in New York's East Village neighborhood, injuring 12 people, four of them seriously, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said.
Witnesses reported a large explosion at the site, and an adjacent building also caught fire. Local television showed people being carried away on stretchers.
Firefighters stated that the building is located at Second Avenue and East 7th Street in Manhattan's East Village, a neighborhood of small businesses, restaurants, and apartments.
"We heard a loud noise, then three or four people fell to the ground," said Shameem Noor, who works at a restaurant about a block away.
"People were running and screaming," he said. "There's a big fire upstairs and black smoke."
Witnesses said it was a five-story apartment building.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney)