Gas blast wrecks N.J. apartment building, kills 3

By Christine Kearney

BERGENFIELD, New Jersey (Reuters) – A gas explosion ripped
through a three-story apartment building in New Jersey on
Tuesday, starting a huge fire and killing three people,
officials said.

Five people were injured, including three in critical
condition, and three more were unaccounted for, local
councilman Dennis Mulligan said.

At least six fire trucks from the Bergenfield Fire
Department responded to the scene and firefighters were also
called in from neighboring areas to battle the blaze which
burned for several hours.

Bergenfield fire chief John Pampaloni said his department
was called by a contractor removing a fuel tank in the area to
investigate a gas line ruptured in the removal when the
explosion rocked the apartment building.

“There was a big explosion, there was a big fire and people
were screaming ‘Help me, help me,”‘ said David Coradin, 54, a
resident in one of the 24 apartments.

He said he went to help two neighbors whose apartment was
badly damaged when the roof collapsed. “I could see the sky,”
Coradin said.

“The blast, which occurred at 9:30 a.m. (1430 GMT), blew
out windows, lifted nearby residents off their feet and sparked
a fire that sent up plumes of smoke visible up to 10 miles (16
km) away.

Bergenfield, with a population of 26,000, is located six
miles northwest of New York City.

The fire sent up a large cloud of black smoke that could be
seen across the Hudson River in Manhattan.

The Red Cross set up an emergency center to take in those
evacuated from the building, though it appeared that many of
the residents were out at the time since the blast happened
after many people had left for work or school.

The explosion rocked the neighborhood, a commuter-belt
suburb across the water from New York City.

“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through,” said
nearby resident Anthony Sorrentino. “I’ve never seen a house
shake like that … the flames were enormous.”

(Additional reporting by Claudia Parsons)