House explosion leaves 4 hurt. Witnesses describe the blast that forced neighbors to evacuate.

By Katie Houlis, Christina Fan, Ali Bauman

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    NEW YORK (WCBS/WLNY) — A house explosion in East Flatbush, Brooklyn left at least four people hurt Thursday night, police say.

The blast ripped through a two-story home around 8:30 p.m. on East 37th Street between Farragut Road and Foster Avenue.

Department of Buildings inspectors have issued a full vacate order for three address on the block, and National Grid cut the gas service. Inspectors say they found an illegal apartment in the basement where the explosion took place.

The Red Cross says four adults and one child have been forced to relocate, along with a dog.

Man severely burned in Brooklyn house explosion

Authorities said they received multiple 911 calls about the explosion, and roughly 20 New York City Fire Department units responded to the scene.

FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Currao said when crews arrived, they found two victims outside and two victims on the top floor of the building. According to Currao, there was glass all over the street and obvious structural damage to the building.

“Quite a powerful explosion, ripped right through the dwelling, as well as caused significant damage to the rear of the dwelling,” he said.

Currao said three victims suffered serious injuries: two were taken to a local hospital with burns and potential respiratory injuries, and a third was taken to a local hospital to be treated for cuts and contusions. A fourth victim was treated on the scene.

Police later put out an update, saying four people were treated at Staten Island University Hospital, including a 63-year-old man who suffered severe burns to his body. The other victims, ages 47 to 73, were treated for minor injuries and listed in stable condition.

Structural concerns after Brooklyn house explosion

According to Currao, firefighters raised concerns about the stability of the buildings and requested a DOB investigation.

“Very significant damage. Windows that were blown out. The back, the structural part of the building actually is damaged and blown out as well. Very significant type of explosion,” he said.

Currao said two other houses attached to the home where the explosion occurred had to be evacuated as a precaution, and gas was shut off for four buildings on the block.

DOB inspectors arrived on the scene overnight and determined the blast damaged floor joists and caused cracks in the walls between the building and neighboring properties.

The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time. The fire marshal is on the scene to investigate.

Neighbors say they smelled gas after explosion

Neighbors told CBS News New York’s Ali Bauman they heard and felt a large bang, then smelled gas in the air.

“I heard a loud bang. I assumed it was a truck that hit the building, but I saw my neighbor’s front door in the middle of the sidewalk and that was time to get out of there,” one neighbor said.

“We rushed out of the house and we saw people starting to gather on the streets, and there was smoke coming from this direction. So as we ran to the house to see what was happening, that’s when we saw the two victims just staggering out of the house,” another neighbor said.

The Red Cross was on the scene to support affected residents.

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