NEW YORK, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- An explosion at a New York apartment building injured at least 17 people Saturday, including a city firefighter.
The explosion occurred about 4 p.m. in the 20-unit, five-floor building on Fifth Avenue near Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, the Daily News reported. Authorities believed the cause was a gas leak in a ground-floor apartment.
"I heard a big boom. A big explosion. My whole house shook," said Vannatta Williams,a resident of a neighboring building. "I thought the whole building was going to come crashing down. That's what it felt like."
Residents of adjacent buildings were evacuated along with those in the building where the explosion occurred.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said that the injured included a baby and three older children who suffered burns. The firefighter was hit by falling debris as he entered the building.
