Overview
- A powerful explosion and five-alarm fire ripped through the five-story building at 374 E. 209th Street on Wednesday and destroyed the upper floors above the second-floor origin.
- Recovery teams have now located three victims inside the unstable building, with the medical examiner yet to confirm identities.
- Fire marshals and arson investigators cannot fully enter the suspected origin unit because of collapse risk, so investigators are still considering a gas blast, a lithium-ion battery failure, or a combination of factors.
- Fourteen people were reported injured with two hospitalized, and dozens of tenants remain displaced with the Red Cross providing hotel placement while some residents lack stable shelter.
- Longer-term clearance and a full probe depend on shoring by the FDNY, inspections by the Department of Buildings, and utility work by Con Edison before examiners can complete recovery and determine a cause.