New York fire, building collapse injures 12

NEW YORK -- An apartment building collapsed in a fiery burst of rubble Thursday, and flames spread to nearby buildings in what officials said appeared to be a gas-related explosion, injuring at least a dozen people and scattering debris across surrounding streets in the heart of Manhattan's trendy East Village.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the blast appeared to have been caused by plumbing and gas work in one building. Inspectors from utility Con Edison had been there to check on a planned gas meter installation about an hour before the fire, but they decided the building wasn't ready for gas to be introduced, company President Craig Ivey said.

Orange flames billowed, and smoke could be seen and smelled for miles after the blaze in an area of old tenement buildings that are home to students and longtime residents in an area near New York University and Washington Square Park.

About 250 firefighters converged to fight the flames, and the fire department's commissioner said a second building was "in danger of possible collapse." Four buildings were affected.

Firefighters said at least 12 people were hurt -- three critically, some with burns to their airways. De Blasio said no one appeared to be missing.

"We are praying that no other individuals are injured and that there are no fatalities," he said.

The fire happened a little over a year after a gas explosion in a building in East Harlem killed eight people and injured about 50. De Blasio noted no one had reported a gas leak to authorities before Thursday's blast.

The area was evacuated, and the city's health department advised residents to keep their windows closed because of the smoke.

Adil Choudhury, who lives a block away, ran outside when he heard "a huge boom."

"Already there was smoke everywhere" when he saw the building, he said. "The flames were coming out from the roof. The fire was coming out of every window."

Items from a ground-floor sushi restaurant were blown into a street, and the explosion was so forceful, it blew the door off a cafe across the avenue. Rubble, glass and debris littered sidewalks.

Con Ed crews planned to start investigating after firefighters got the blaze under control.