An explosion in the rear of this house on 108th Street shook the block on Thanksgiving afternoon. Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
A Thanksgiving-day home explosion rocked a South Ozone Park block, sending one person to the hospital with serious burns, according to the city Fire Department.
An FDNY spokesman said the 911 call for a possible explosion at a two-story private residence on 108th Street came in around 1:45 p.m. Officials determined that a gas explosion had occurred in the rear setback portion of the property. Approximately 12 units and 60 firefighters responded, with one patient being transported with serious burns to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Hospital. Additionally, the NY Red Cross dispatched a team to the scene “to assist residents affected” by the incident.
According to a National Grid spokeswoman, the utility company which provides gas to the residence, a city fire marshal “advised that the disturbance was caused when the resident attempted to light the range in the back of the building where an extension had been added recently.”
Notices posted on the front door of the house indicate that safety concerns spurred the city Department of Buildings to order the property vacated. The extensive damage to the rear of the property could be seen from 108th Street.
Officials believe an oven range in the house’s new extension was the cause of the explosion. Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
The damage is visible even from the front of the edifice. Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
By Michael V. Cusenza
