NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A house explosion tore through a home in East Flatbush on Thursday night, injuring four people, including two who had to be rushed to a burn unit on Staten Island, the FDNY said.
The basement explosion around 8:30 p.m. blew out the windows of the three-story home on East 37th Street, between Farragut Road and Foster Avenue.
Two of the victims stumbled out of the house yelling for help with their skin peeling off, shocked witnesses said. Two others were found by firefighters on the top floor.
The FDNY said 80 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene, where neighbors had reported hearing a loud boom and seeing the home’s front door lying on the sidewalk amid glass and other debris.
Three people were seriously injured, the FDNY said. Two were taken to Staten Island University Hospital North’s burn center, while a third was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. A fourth person didn't require hospitalization.
“We had two victims that were taken to a hospital for burn injuries and potentially some respiratory injuries,” FDNY Deputy Chief Tom Currao said. “We had a third victim who was taken to a local hospital more for lacerations and contusions.”
There was no fire from the explosion, he said, but the damage to the home was “very significant.”
"Quite a powerful explosion ripped right through the dwelling," Currao said. "Windows were blown out, the back structural part of the building is actually damaged and blown out as well."
The fire marshal determined that the cause of the explosion was a natural gas leak. The FDNY said this leak occurred as part of a building issue, not due to the gas company.
The Department of Buildings is investigating the building's structural stability.