Construction workers inside a sushi restaurant in the East Village accidentally hit a gas line, causing an explosion that sparked a massive fire and caused two buildings to collapse, law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York.
The explosion inside 121 Second Ave., between East 7th Street and St. Marks Place, caused the buildings at 121 and 123 to collapse, and the ensuing fire spread to two other neighboring buildings at 119 and 125, according to city officials.
"The initial impact appears to have been caused by plumbing and gas work that was occurring inside 121 Second Avenue," said Mayor de Blasio at a news conference Thursday evening detailing the explosion that's injured at least 12 people.
Firefighters have managed to contain the 7-alarm fire to those four buildings.
Officials say 12 people were injured in the explosion, three of them critically. Two of those patients were taken to Cornell with serious burns and a third unconscious patient was taken to Bellevue.
All firefighters were accounted for after the explosion, the FDNY said. De Blasio said there have been no reports of missing persons, but urged concerned relatives or friends to call 311.
Huge flames were shooting out of the front of the buildings at the height of the blaze, and thick plumes of white smoke could be seen billowing from the structures in the tightly packed, business-heavy neighborhood.
The tall flames and smoke could be seen from at least 20 blocks north, and the smell of smoke was detected as far north as midtown, including at the NBC offices at Rockefeller Center.
People were seen lying on the ground, apparently unconscious, immediately following the explosion, multiple witnesses told NBC 4 New York.
A neighbor who lives on Second Avenue and East 7th Street told NBC 4 New York he was home when he heard a loud explosion that "shook everything."
"When I went outside, I saw people running and broken glass everywhere," said the neighbor, a music producer who gave his name as David.
He said within two minutes, at least 20 fire trucks rushed to the scene and more were still arriving as he spoke to NBC 4 New York.
David said the storefront was entirely blown out, with glass strewn over 200 feet.
David's building and others nearby were evacuated, and firefighters continued to push back residents further and further away from the scene.
Another witness, Loren Colon, said he saw the "entire building explode" and that there were "definitely people inside the restaurant," a sushi or ramen restaurant.
A resident at 124 Second Ave. across the street, Larry, said he saw several people laying on the sidewalk in front the restaurant after the explosion and that others "were running around in a panic."
Several people rushed to the buildings to help trapped or distressed residents, multiple witnesses said. One neighbor on the block and the Dallas BBQ restaurant manager separately recounted watching a civilian help a woman down from a fire escape on one of the collapsed buildings before firefighters arrived. One Twitter user also captured the rescue:
Major explosion on 2nd ave and 7th street. New Yorkers being awesome and helping this young lady get down! pic.twitter.com/YxGh2C68IP
— Niraj Desai (@nayramz) March 26, 2015
Larry, the neighbor across the street, said acrid smoke was permeating the neighborhood in the aftermath of the explosion.
Con Edison were shutting down gas service in the area. The utility says it's looking into whether gas complaints were filed there recently.
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