Fire that led to Bronx car explosion sparked by tossed cigarette, officials say
Two FDNY firefighters remain hospitalized after a massive car explosion in the Bronx on Wednesday night, and fire officials say it all started with a cigarette.
Crews were sent to Westchester Avenue in Longwood on Wednesday evening for reports of garbage, debris and a car on fire. Shortly after they arrived, there was a large explosion, injuring seven firefighters.
"FDNY Fire Marshals determined the fire was caused by the careless disposal of a lit cigarette. The cigarette set some nearby garbage on fire. The fire then spread to a vehicle parked close by, igniting its gas tank and causing a major explosion," FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said in a video posted to X Thursday evening.
Esposito reminded New Yorkers to properly extinguish cigarettes before throwing them out.
Video shows lit cigarette being discarded on sidewalk
Surveillance video appears to show someone toss a lit cigarette onto the sidewalk. You can see the glow as it rolls or is blown towards the street, then disappears into mounds of trash.
A short time later, a small fire can be seen in the same area, and someone approaches, appearing to try to put it out.
Firefighters then arrived on the scene, and soon after, the explosion happened.
"The trash just kind of piled up"
Witnesses say firefighters were blown backwards in the blast, and one could be seen on all fours in the street.
"When the fire department came in, they came over here, and I say a few seconds after that, the big explosion," said Jose Rojas, a witness who called 911. "You see the firemen go to the side of the building."
Two firefighters remain in the hospital and are in stable condition, the FDNY says.
The vehicle that exploded was cleared from the scene Thursday morning, presumably for fire marshals to investigate. Residents in the area say the presence of trash is easier to explain.
"Just bad timing with the placement of the trash. Election Day, sanitation couldn't come get it, so the trash just kind of piled up," said Brian Rivera, who works nearby.
On social media Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams called the explosion "an example of the dangers our first responders face every day."