New York Daily News
(TNS)
Several people were injured in New York state on Thursday afternoon in a house explosion and subsequent fire.
The incident occurred around 12:20 p.m. in Wappingers Falls, a village in Duchess County in the Hudson Valley, when a construction crew struck a natural gas service line and collapsed the structure, according to Mid Hudson News.
At least 15 people were transported to the hospital for various injuries, including a New York State Trooper who was one of the first to respond to the scene and reportedly pulled several other injured people from the wreckage.
Three police officers and one fire fighter who responded were also hospitalized.
Of the other 10, eight are adults and two are children, Wappingers Falls Police Commissioner Paul Italiano said at a news conference on Thursday.
At least one heavy equipment operator was also trapped in their machine and crews were working to free them.
An unknown number of injured people were airlifted to other hospitals. Some of the injured are in critical condition with burns.
No fatalities have been reported. Similar incidents have killed nine people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Drivers were advised to avoid the area and a nearby stretch of NY Route 9D was closed off. Central Hudson Gas & Electric temporarily cut all electric and gas service in that area but said most customers would have service restored later Thursday.
The company is booking hotel rooms for customers whose service remains cut off, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Photos of the aftermath showed several emergency vehicles and a dark smoke plume rising in a residential neighborhood. Overhead shots of the area showed debris strewn around the smoky wreckage.
“I have been briefed on the building collapse in Dutchess County and have deployed State emergency services personnel to assist in response efforts,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on social media. “New Yorkers: please follow directions from law enforcement and other first responders working to keep the community safe.”
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