Stored Chemicals Eyed In NYC Blast

An explosion that may have been caused by chemicals stored in a basement rocked a 10-story commercial building Thursday, hurling glass and rubble across a city block and injuring 42 people, 12 critically.

Authorities quickly ruled out terrorism, though the blast conjured up memories of Sept. 11 for some in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

"At the moment I want to assure there is absolutely no reason to think this is anything other than a tragic accident, and we hope there is no loss of life," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters.

Victims were taken to the hospital with burns, severe head injuries and cuts after the 11:30 a.m. blast.

"It was a giant boom — a real giant boom," said Bill Beek, who lives a half-block away. "It sounded like an airplane crashing."

"First we thought it was a bomb," said Alex Vargas, 28, a student at Apex Technical School next door. "We all had to leave by the back stairs. People were yelling and screaming, `Hurry up!"'

Chemicals stored in the basement by a sign company were being investigated as a possible factor, said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta. Plumbers had been working on the boiler in the building at the time, but that did not appear to be the cause, investigators said.

Kaltech sign company's general manager Phil Morgan said he felt two consecutive blasts in the company's ground-floor offices.

"One pushed me up from my chair, the second one had me out of my chair," he said. When it was over, the ceiling and a wall had come down. "Everything moved. The air was filled with dust."

Windows along the block of West 19th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues were blown out, and several people were injured by flying glass.

The facade of the building was damaged and several walls were blown out, but it appeared to be structurally sound, Bloomberg said.

Police and more than 100 firefighters poured into the area. Some victims, dazed and bloody, sat on the curb awaiting medical attention.

The building housed the sign company and other commercial tenants, said Sid Dinsay, a spokesman for the city Office of Emergency Management. Neighbors said the building was also used for storage by the Apex school, which teaches welding, automotive repair and other trades.