Manhattan’s Chinatown, at Pike and Henry Streets, was the site of a building explosion, fire, and structural collapse on Thursday afternoon near 1 p.m. that injured 12 people. The injured included 4 New York City firefighters.
Our structural collapse injury attorneys report that the explosion was heralded by a loud “boom” on the first floor that blew out windows all the way up to the third floor. The fire tore through the 5-story building and apparently caused the first floor ceiling to collapse.
The 5-story apartment building had commercial spaces on the first floor. 7 people were pulled from the debris of the collapsing building. At least one person was extracted from a third floor window of the burned building.
12 victims were injured, three of them critically. One person had severe, 2nd degree burns. 4 firefighters were injured before the fire was finally under control. Reports indicated that the cause of the disaster might have been a gas explosion on the first floor. New York’s Con Edison dispatched workers to investigate. (Sources: Associated Press and CBS News, 7/11/13)
The hearts and prayers of our structural collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC are with the many victims of this explosion, fire, and collapse, wishing them safe and full recoveries from their traumatic injuries.
Structural Collapses in Burned Buildings are a Serious Threat both During and After a Fire
Firefighters are well aware of the dangers of sudden structural collapses caused by fire. Fire weakens structural members and the connections between them and could cause floors, walls, and ceilings to give way at any time. Extracting victims from a burnt building before they can become trapped by sudden structural collapses is a primary concern.
Our structural collapse injury attorneys note that a leading cause of firefighter fatalities on the job is entrapment in a structure after it partially or totally collapses. Click the link to read more about the serious risk of structural collapses from fire.
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