A massive explosion has torn through a building in New York City, sparking a huge fire and emergency response and possibly sparking a building collapse.
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Reports of injuries are still coming through but the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has so far confirmed 12 people were injured in the explosion, three of those critically. All have been taken to local hospitals.
Television images showed the mixed-occupancy building on 2nd Avenue engulfed in flames as ladder trucks manoeuvred nearby. After a report of an explosion, 130 firefighters came to the scene, according to the department.
"It sounded like a bomb or something," said Saif Bablu, a 28-year-old worker at a Dallas BBQ restaurant one block from the incident. "It was just a big explosion. The whole building shook. We were just shocked, like what happened?"
As fire engulfed the building, more firefighters were deployed, with a total of 250 at the scene an hour and a half after the initial explosion, according to the FDNY.
Footage later appeared to show a full or partial building collapse.
D Joy Faber, spokeswoman for the electricity and gas company Consolidated Edison, said crews just arrived at the building, which is fully engulfed, and are shutting off nearby gas service.
"We don't have a cause," she said. "We don't know what's going on just yet."
The fire is believed to have started in a restaurant in the East Village, reportedly a sushi bar.
Reports of the collapse came in shortly after 3pm local time (6am AEDT).
With Reuters, Bloomberg
More to come