Jul 26, 2008 9:13 pm US/Eastern
Residents Want Answers After Building Explosion
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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At least 17 people were injured after an apartment inside a six-story Queens building exploded.
CBS
A massive building explosion in Flushing, Queens has left dozens of people homeless.
While inspectors and clean-up crews arrive residents try to find out when they'll be allowed back home.
"It's depressing," Pauline Durden told CBS 2 HD.
Rei Kim's grandparents live in building. She said they had no gas or hot water for over a month and just when it was restored the explosion happened in the apartment below them.
Glass was blown out of windows and brick walls crumbled while flames traveled from one apartment to another - the result of a blast that destroyed apartment 2P and seriously burned the two people inside.
The explosion on Sanford Avenue was so intense it toppled walls, buckled floors and ceilings. Residents inside the large apartment building were forced to run for their lives.
"We heard a big bang, like a bomb," said Mahedura Bajachara of the explosion. "It felt like a wind, like a strong tsunami like hitting us in my face," added another resident.
The most seriously injured were inside apartment 2P. Mir Sarbriy saw the man and two-year-old girl who were horribly burned.
"One guy's all fire on his body, his skin out and a little kid inside screamed," he told CBS 2 HD.
Most of the building's residents got out without serious injury although the sheer terror of all was simply too much for some.
"The ceiling collapsed the windows exploded. It was horrible," said Margarita Bayro.
The blast did most of the damage but it also sparked fires in seven apartments which left 17 people injured.
"We had fire on two floors," said FDNY Chief Steven Kubler. "We had fire involving five apartments on the second floor and two apartments on the third floor."
"We were very fortunate more people weren't injured," added EMS worker Robert Browne.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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