Apr 25, 2009 8:21 am US/Eastern
Gas Leak Possible Cause Of Fatal Home Explosion
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Firefighters work to extinguish a fire caused by a house explosion in the Floral Park section of Queens on April 24, 2009.
CBS
Con Edison crews are sifting through what's left of a Queens home that suddenly exploded Friday, killing a mother of three. A gas leak is believed to have caused the powerful blast that was felt 10 blocks away.
From Chopper 2 HD one could see a massive tower of smoke spewed from the home minutes after the blast.
Firefighters spent the night digging through the rubble in a desperate search for the mother. Just after 9 p.m. they discovered a woman's lifeless body.
"Oh my God," one neighbor said through tears.
The despair came after a massive explosion leveled the home at 80-46 260th St. in Floral Park.
"It felt like an earthquake. It really was really bad," witness Phil Nazzar said.
"The whole house just blew, all going up in the air," witness Rudi Falsetti said. "It just blew, went poof. And then there was like a big hole, nothing there."
And it created a chain reaction that spread to other homes.
"We saw just one house went to the ground, and then another house went on fire and another house went on fire," another witness said.
The explosion and fires occurred after Con Edison came to investigate an odor of gas.
"When they went to pull the manhole cover off the manhole that supplied the buildings the explosion occurred," Con Ed section manager Bill Horgan said.
As one woman and a Con Edison worker were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, firefighters began their search for the mother of a 7-, 8- and 10-year-old, certain she was beneath what was once her home.
"We have not been able to contact her through her cell phone. We triangulated the area of her cell phone. It said that it is in this area. Her routine is to be in the building at that time," FDNY Chief Patrick McNally said.
Later Friday night, the worst fears were realized when a 40-year-old woman was found by firefighters.
"I'm in shock. I don't know what to say. It's a terrible thing. God. What do you say in a time like this?" neighbor Janet Shubeck said.
Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 HD for more on this developing story.
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