AT least one person has been killed and 14 injured in a gas explosion at a New York City apartment block.
The explosion triggered a four-alarm blaze at the top of the high-rise building in the Bronx in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Just after midnight, firefighters arrived at the building to tackle the blaze on the 16th floor of the 19-storey block with over 150 homes evacuated as a result.
One civilian was pronounced dead at the scene and 14 people were taken to hospital.
At least one of those people is said to be critical, FDNY Chief Kathleen Knuth said.
One of the wounded is a firefighter who was attending the blaze, authorities told Bronx News 12.
Firefighters were called to the Eastchester building just after midnight following calls of a strong smell of gas.
Just fifteen minutes later, as the FDNY carried out its investigation of the leak, the explosion took place.
Shocking photos from the fire show one resident hanging out of a window on the top floor waving a bed sheet.
Over 230 first responders attended the blaze with 75 units arriving at the building as temperatures across the city plummeted.
“It was a very, very difficult night, on a very cold night, which caused even more difficulty,” FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore told reporters.
“The men and women of the fire department and all the first responders of our department did a terrific job putting these fires out; we couldn’t have thanked them more.”
“It’s a terrible tragedy, we are sending our thoughts to everyone involved,” Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for housing and planning, added.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The identity of the person who has died has not yet been released.
