Gas blast wrecks N.J. apartment building, kills 3
Posted on: Tuesday, 13 December 2005, 18:52 CST
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)
Source: REUTERS
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