Improper Gas Work May Have Led to Building Explosion, de Blasio Says
Friday, March 27, 2015
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It could take as long as a week to clear rubble and debris from the area near the blast site in Manhattan's East Village. (Stephen Nessen/WNYC)
Mayor Bill de Blasio said an individual may have "inappropriately accessed" a gas line before an explosion that leveled three apartment buildings and injured nearly two dozen people.
"There is a possibility here that the gas line was inappropriately accessed internally by people in the building," de Blasio said at a Friday afternoon news conference, referring to 121 Second Ave., the five-story building where the explosion occurred.
But he added that investigators had still not been able to get close enough to the still-smoldering buildings to explore it further.
"There is an X factor here," he said. "An option, and it certainly looks like it's a possible option, is that something was tapped into inappropriately."
Two people remain missing and four victims in the hospital have life-threatening injuries, he said.
Inspectors with Consolidated Edison had visited one of the now-destroyed buildings shortly before Thursday's blast in the East Village to inspect a new 3-inch gas line that had been recently installed that would have increased the gas supply to the building, which was previously serviced by a 1.5-inch line.
Officials said that the work did not pass inspection, and that gas was not introduced into the line. The inspectors gave some instructions to a contractor and subcontractor hired by the building owner to correct deficiencies and left around 2:45 p.m. without having smelled gas.
About 15 minutes later, officials say the owner of the sushi restaurant in the base of the building called the landlord about a gas smell. The landlord called the contractor. The explosion occurred at about 3:17 p.m.
"We constantly learn one painful lesson across all these incidents: people have to call 911 when they smell gas, or call Con Ed," Mayor de Blasio said. "There is no substitute. Calling anybody else is not the same as calling 911 or calling Con Ed."
It is expected to take up to a week to clear debris form the site and fully reopen the area to pedestrians and vehicles.
With the Associated Press
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