By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A domestic dispute in Queens, New York, early Thursday led to a powerful explosion and a five-alarm fire that injured several NYPD officers, officials said.
• Officers were responding to a 911 call about a 50-year-old man armed with a knife and a strong smell of gas shortly before the blast occurred.
• The explosion threw officers off their feet and the fire engulfed the three-family home on 130th Street in South Ozone Park.
• Multiple fire units battled the fire and the home collapsed as crews worked to contain the blaze.
• Some residents and officers were taken to area hospitals; the investigation into the cause of the explosion and the suspect’s status is ongoing.
QUEENS, NY — A domestic dispute in South Ozone Park resulted in a massive explosion and a five-alarm fire early Thursday that injured multiple New York City Police Department officers, city officials said.
Police responded about 2:42 a.m. to a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance at a three-family home on 130th Street, where a 50-year-old man was reportedly armed with a knife and there was a strong odor of gas, according to NYPD Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh.
As officers attempted to enter a basement apartment with a key provided by a family member, a “massive, fiery explosion” occurred, violently throwing several officers off their feet, McIntosh said. Eight officers were treated for minor burns and one received a head laceration that required stitches.
Fire Department units escalated the situation to a five-alarm blaze after the explosion, and firefighters and EMS personnel worked to extinguish the fire and rescue residents. The structure collapsed and nearby buildings sustained damage, officials said.
Several residents were transported to local hospitals and the Red Cross provided emergency assistance to displaced households, authorities said. The status of the suspect was not immediately clear, and investigators continue to examine the cause of the explosion.