Firefighters battle a fire after a building collapses in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York on March 12
An explosion has leveled two New York City apartment buildings, killing one person and injuring 15 others. A utility company says a resident in a nearby building reported smelling gas shortly before the explosion.
The New York Police Department says one person died in the East Harlem blast. No other information is available.
Con Edison spokesman Bob McGee says a resident from a building adjacent to the two that collapsed reported that he smelled gas inside his apartment, but thought the odor could be coming from outside.
McGee says the utility dispatched two crews just after 9:15 a.m., but they arrived just after the explosion. He says the street is served by an eight-inch low-pressure gas main. He would not speculate on whether a gas leak caused the explosion.