Overview
- The blast erupted around 12:10 a.m. at 3485 Bivona St. as FDNY crews checked reports of a gas odor in the Boston Secor Houses.
- Flames tore through apartments on the 15th to 17th floors, causing severe structural damage on the 15th and 16th floors, officials said.
- One person died, another was in critical condition, and more than a dozen others — including a firefighter — sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
- The fire was brought under control near 5 a.m. after a four-alarm response with 74 units and about 231 firefighters and EMS personnel.
- About 148 apartments were vacated as the Red Cross assisted 175 to 201 displaced residents at a nearby center, with fire marshals probing the cause and recent gas work noted as completed and signed off.