Explosion and Fire in Borough Park Kills One, Injures Three

Firefighters in New York say one person is dead and three more have been injured in an apparent explosion and fire in a Brooklyn building.

Bridget, who works at a Payless ShoeSource two blocks away from the fire, said the store smelled of smoke.

More than 100 firefighters have been deployed to the explosion site.

First responders are trying to determine if anyone is unaccounted for, though they are unable to do complete searches due to fire conditions and the building’s instability.

The neighbourhood is largely residential but the affected building had a business on the ground floor.

National Grid, which supplies gas in that area, was not immediately available to comment. Evidence indicated that someone had tampered with the gas lines or meters, investigators said at the time.

City Department of Buildings staffers are en route to assess the damage.

FDNY reports one person was killed in the blast, and three people were injured. Three other victims were transported to a local hospital.