12 hurt, 3 seriously when explosion leads to fire in building in NYC’s Chinatown

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The fire department says an explosion inside a building led to a fire in New York City’s Chinatown, injured 12 people, three of them seriously.

Aside from the three victims in serious condition, the other injuries are minor. Four of those with minor injuries are firefighters.

Assistant Chief Robert Boyce says it’s unclear what caused the explosion on the first floor. He says there’s been a minimal collapse inside the building, but it’s not structural.

Building resident Tszkan (SEE-kan) Cheung says he heard a “boom, like a bombing, like an earthquake.” He saw firefighters carrying out a woman with a severely damaged leg.

The New York Fire Department got the call around 12:45 p.m. Thursday. The fire was under control shortly after 1:30 p.m.