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  • At Least Six Killed in East Harlem Gas Leak Blast

    At least six people are dead after an explosion reportedly due to a gas leak at 1644-46 Park Avenue in East Harlem Wednesday morning.

    Con Edison received a call at 9:13 a.m. Wednesday from a resident at 1652 Park Avenue about the detectable smell of gas that had strengthened since the night before, surrounding two buildings by 116th Street and Park Avenue. The call was placed 18 minutes before the two buildings collapsed.

    The blast, which city officials said was caused by a gas leak, killed at least six people and wounded at least 27 more. Rescue workers continued to search the rubble into the night. Nine occupants of the buildings were still missing as of late Wednesday.

    The five-story buildings stood 55-feet tall and held a church and a piano repair shop on the ground levels, as well as a total of 15 apartments, according to Building Department records.

    The explosion blew out windows in surrounding buildings and sent debris crashing onto nearby streets. People were trapped in the rubble, in neighboring apartments, and in their cars. Individuals rushed towards the buildings, making rescue attempts.

    There was little warning, and not enough to safely evacuate the area, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference near where the buildings once stood.

    “This is a tragedy of the worst kind because there was no indication in time to save people,” the Mayor said.

    Those injured were taken to several area hospitals, where most were treated and released. Officials said 13 people went to Harlem Hospital Center, including a 15-year-old boy in critical condition; 22 people to Mount Sinai Hospital, including a woman in critical condition with head trauma; and 18 at Metropolitan Hospital Center, all with minor injuries.

    Approximately 250 firefighters from 44 units responded to the blast. They used heavy equipment to clear destroyed vehicles outside the buildings. Firefighters sifted through debris brick by brick, and by late afternoon were seen handing off buckets of debris to clear the site. Remaining hot spots in the debris, cold weather and winds Wednesday night continued to limit rescue efforts.

    A team from the National Transportation Safety Board, which oversees pipeline safety, arrived to help investigate the reason for the gas leak. The cause remained unclear Wednesday night.

    Image via Twitter

  • East Harlem Building Collapse: 2 Dead, Many Injured

    At 9:31 am EST, New York City firefighters responded to an explosion and building collapse at 1644-46 Park Avenue in East Harlem. Thus far, two people been reported dead, with at least 16 more suffering from injuries.

    Prior to the explosion, Con Edison, a New York City utility service, had received a call from a resident at 1652 Park Avenue complaining of a gas smell in her apartment. That call came 18 minutes before the two buildings collapsed.

    The five-story buildings held a church and a piano repair shop on the ground levels and hosted 12 total apartments.

    Jennifer Salas, a 20-year-old resident of the apartment, saw warning signs as early as yesterday: “Last night it smelled like gas but then the smell vanished and we all went to sleep. We tried to find the source of the gas but since the smell left, we all went to sleep.” Salas’s husband is currently still missing.

    As it currently stands, the 150+ firefighters who responded from 39 different units are still working to extinguish the flames and excavate the destruction to look for residents and patrons.

    Residents of East Harlem who witnessed the collapse were shocked at the impact of the explosion: “I saw a lady running with no shoes on. It was crazy. It was like a war zone. … I thought it was an earthquake. I got calls from my family who felt it too and that was all the way up town,” reported one witness.

    “It was loud, like boom, boom! It rocked the whole block. A window blew out of the other shop down the street. It looked like the towers all over again. People covered in dust and covering their mouths,” added Mitch Abreu, an employee at a nearby barbershop.

    The two buildings which collapsed have been plagued by many infrastructure issues over the years. Last summer, the building at 1644 Park Avenue was scheduled to have a 120 foot piece of gas pipe installed to a fifth floor stove. Officials at New York heating could not confirm if that work had been completed.

    The other building at 1646 Park Avenue was cited several years ago for having a vertical crack in the rear wall “which is hazardous to the safety of the structure.” The owner of the building at the time of the citation paid the $1,335 fine, but there are no records to indicate that the structure of the building was ever repaired.

    Image via Twitter

  • Melissa Mark-Viverito Is New Speaker Of The NYC Council

    Melissa Mark-Viverito was unanimously elected Wednesday as the new speaker of the New York City Council. She replaces Christine Quinn to become first Latin American to hold citywide office.

    “I hope that as young Latinas and Latinos are witnessing this moment, they are able to dream that much bigger and are inspired to work that much harder, because we have broken through one more barrier,” she said.

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, an ally to Mark-Viverito, played a key role in getting her elected. He lobbied council members urging them to vote for her, citing that they both shared the same values and goals for the city.

    In her victory speech Mark-Viverito said her immediate agenda is to help create more affordable housing and improve the lives of those “who have fallen on hard times.” The 44-year-old councilwoman from East Harlem also appealed for unity in the state in order to make it a state of equal opportunities for everyone.

    “We unite for a more equal and just New York where everyone, no matter what borough you are from, what neighborhood you were raised in or who your parents are, has equal opportunities,” Mark-Viverito said.

    Her rival, councilman Dan Garodnick, gracefully conceded defeat Wednesday and said he was looking forward to working with the new speaker to help her deliver a responsible government to the people of New York.

    He also pledged to resolve any rifts that may have been caused by the voting process.  “I will do my part to resolve any rifts this process may have caused among our colleagues, and am here to take any steps necessary to help move forward together,” Gorodnick said. He described the new speaker as smart and committed. However, supporters of Gorodnick were not happy with the outcome and accused Mark-Viverito supporters of hardball tactics leading up to the election.

    Recently, Mark-Viverito had come under fire in the media for allegedly renting apartments in an East 111th St. building she owns without disclosing her income. She still has yet to release her tax returns.

    The post of Speaker is a very influential one. The speaker sets the agenda of the chamber, decides whether a bill can go to the floor for debate and appoints heads of committees.

    Image via YouTube