Explosion Rocks Bronx High School, Injuring Three
Three workers were injured, one critically, on Thursday when a gas explosion damaged at least three floors of New York City’s John F. Kennedy High School, WLNY-TV reports.
Blast was incredibly loud, shook my apartment even on 18th floor. My view of the #explosion at JFK High #BRONX #FDNY pic.twitter.com/zYfVQdzMRg
— Mike Allan (@DJMikeAllan) August 21, 2015
According to The New York Times, seven people were working on the school’s sixth floor when a gas line exploded just after 8:00 p.m., blowing out windows and rattling nearby buildings. From the NY Daily News:
“It was a thunder, a really loud explosion,” said Addae Hicks, 21, a custodial worker on the school’s sixth floor.
The gas line exploded after a contractor hit it with a blowtorch, Hicks said.
“Honestly, I thought it was a bomb,” said Jason Osorio, a custodial worker who dashed out of the rumbling building. “I’m happy to be alive.”
Nearly 140 firefighters and paramedics reportedly responded to the explosion.
Heavy FDNY presence at site of Bronx school explosion http://t.co/ffAqNRsOYc pic.twitter.com/7IbYRJiDxZ
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) August 21, 2015