Cause of deadly Bronx explosion, fire remains under investigation
Investigators are still working to track down the cause of Wednesday's deadly fire in the Bronx.
One person was killed and 14 others were injured, including several firefighters, following an explosion and fire on East 209th St. near Decatur Place in the Norwood section. It took hours to bring the fire under control.
Investigators were at the scene Thursday, but FDNY sources said fire marshals and NYPD arson investigators are delayed because there are concerns there could be a partial interior collapse.
Nearly two dozen families are without a home after the violent fire blew apartment doors off the hinges and shattered glass windows. Residents of the building are traumatized.
"Whatever the explosion was, it was so powerful that I felt it four buildings down. It shook my building," one Norwood resident said.
"It just started from one floor, to the next, to the next, to the next, and you seen a young lady run out that was on fire. Like, she ran out like she had got burned," another area resident said.
One person died inside the building, according to the FDNY. Of the 14 others that were hurt, two civilians had life-threatening injuries.
FDNY sources say investigators are looking at the cause as a possible combination of lithium-ion battery and gas due to the severity of the explosion.
A Norwood resident told CBS News New York she smelled gas outside the building the night before.
Retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Bullock explained why investigators may be looking at the involvement of a lithium-ion battery.
"When there's a problem with the battery, when you're charging it, that's when usually the problem is. It really builds up a tremendous amount of heat and smoke, and it explodes. And when it explodes, it sends the smoke and the particles, burning embers, all over. So it gets a big head start before the fire department even knows about it," Bullock said.
The FDNY hasn't confirmed the official cause of the fire as yet.
There are 27 units in the building, and the Red Cross says it's helping most of the families who live there.
