NEW YORK − A gas explosion in a Bronx apartment building sparked a four-alarm fire, killing one person and injuring over a dozen others, just after midnight,New York Cityofficials said Jan. 24.
The fire displaced hundreds from the 17-story building before asevere winter stormis set to hitmost of the United States. Temperatures in the Bronx were around the single digits when the explosion occurred.
"As you can imagine, this has been a deeply frightening and devastating morning for them,"Mayor Zohran Mamdanitold reporters. "They are not alone. Our city will stand by them and do everything in our power to help them get back on their feet."
Massive winter storm set to blanket nation. See photos
At 12:09 a.m., New York City firefighters were investigating the smell of gas at the Boston Secor Houses when there was a gas explosion on a building's top floors, FDNY said. Firefighters were on the 16th floor when the explosion occurred, according to John Esposito, chief of department. Other firefighters were trapped in the elevator.
A fire broke out inside multiple apartments on the 15th, 16th and 17th floors, Esposito said. Severe structural damage affected six apartments on the 15th and 16th floors.
Images showed flames and smoke billowing out of top-floor windows. A fourth-alarm fire, hundreds of units responded to the scene in what Esposito described as a dangerous operation. Firefighters had to enter apartments to shield people who were trapped near windows as flames raged.
One person, whose identity wasn't immediately known, died in the incident, FDNY said. Eleven people and a firefighter were transported to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. One person was in critical condition at a local hospital. In total, 20 people were injured, a City Hall spokesperson said.
FDNY declared the fire under control just before 5 a.m. Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the explosion.
At 12:09 am on Saturday morning, FDNY members were investigating an odor of gas at 3485 Bivonia Street in the Bronx. While on scene, there was a gas explosion on the upper floors."While our units were here investigating the odor of gas on the 15th and 16th floors, we had…pic.twitter.com/0HPpRYLMth
— FDNY (@FDNY)January 24, 2026
Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for housing and planning, told reporters residents in about 150 units had to be evacuated. Boston Secor Houses, previously aNew York City Housing Authority propertybuilt in 1969, is now under private management, the housing agency said in an email. The building had been undergoing renovations, including "gas work that was completed and signed off on," Bozorg said.
Officials established a recovery center at a local school. As of 9:15 a.m., the Red Cross registered 67 households, a total of 201 people including 64 children, for emergency assistance, organization spokesman Frederic Klein said in an email.
Utilities in the building have been shut down, and 148 units are vacated, Mamdani said.
Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said recovery is expected to take the next couple days, amid inclement weather during the winter storm. Iscol warned residents to stay off the roads and practice fire safety.
"If this happened tomorrow during the snowstorm, this is a much, much more complicated and dangerous event," he said.
The National Weather Service office in New York issuedwinter storm warningsfor the region. Conditions are expected to disrupt transportation and cause white outs, with heavy snowfall and frigid air into next week.
This story was updated with new information.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email atemcuevas1@usatoday.comor on Signal at emcuevas.01.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NYC apartment fire leaves 1 dead, hundreds displaced before snowstorm
