FDNY: House explodes in Kensington, dozens evacuated

Three people were transported to the hospital and dozens were evacuated from their homes after an explosion in a residential building in Kensington on Monday.

News 12 Staff

Sep 30, 2019, 6:46 PM

Updated 1,668 days ago

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Three people were transported to the hospital and dozens were evacuated from their homes after an explosion in a residential building in Kensington on Monday.
The FDNY said the explosion happened at 803 Friel Place and that there was a fire on the first floor.
Officials say they received the call around 1:30 p.m. Monday and arrived at the scene just three minutes later.
News 12 was told construction was being done in the basement. Officials say a painter and the landlord of the building were among those injured.
The NYPD Bomb Squad was called because of the construction to check for any suspicious material.
News 12 spoke with a tenant who was temporarily living in the building. Moin Hasan told News 12 he was staying at the building while the homeowner was away on vacation.
Moin Hasan told News 12 he was taking care of his friend's cat, which is now missing.
"The Ring app went off saying there's smoke detected, so I texted him saying 'what's going on? There's smoke,'" said Hasan.
Just after Hasan received the alert, he got a call from neighbors saying the house was on fire. Officials say they received several 911 calls as well before responding to the scene.
Hasan and his friend are left wondering what caused the fire and where they are going to live.
Fire officials say they do not know the official cause of the fire. Officials say they believe it had something to do with the ongoing construction work.
Officials say thankfully no one was living in the home at the time of the explosion.
The Department of Buildings and the FDNY assessed the building, which will be demolished. They say it's too weak to stand on its own.
Officials suspect no criminality, while the cause of fire remains under investigation.
 
 
 
 


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