A quiet residential street in South Ozone Park was rocked by a thunderous explosion on Friday morning after an SUV filled with dangerous construction materials detonated in front of 131-16 133 St. five blocks west of the Van Wyck Expressway.
The massive blast damaged five homes and brought down Con Edison power lines on the block and obliterated the vehicle that belonged to a plumber who lives there. No one was injured in the blast but several residents of the block were near the vehicle just before it exploded, officials said..
The FDNY started receiving multiple calls reporting a car fire on the block beginning at 6:47 a.m. and dispatched multiple crews to the block between 131st Avenue and 133rd Street. Units from the NYPD Bomb Squad and the NYPD Arson and Explosion Squad also responded to the location.
“On arrival, our first responding units found a car that was involved in the fire that also had some significant damage,” FDNY Deputy Chief George Healy said. “They quickly suppressed the fire but then took a cautious approach and fell back.”
He added that a preliminary investigation by FDNY fire marshals determined what was in the SUV before it exploded.
“There were some pressurized cylinders in the vehicle. One of those cylinders experienced a failure that caused the catastrophic explosion of the car,” Healy said. “There were also some lithium-ion batteries that were being stored in the car. They were not compromised, but they were safely overpacked by our HazMat Unit.”
Five other vehicles on the block were damaged by the explosion, he said.
Inspectors from the city’s Department of Buildings conducted a structural stability inspection and found that the explosion had damaged windows at 131-16 133rd St. and four other homes on the block, however the inspectors found no structural damage to any of the properties.
“The general public should be very aware of the safety that needs to be utilized when we’re using pressurized cylinders and lithium-ion batteries,” Healy said. “So please just make sure if you have these devices, they are stored properly and safely in a manner that won’t prevent any sort of injury or damage.
FDNY fire marshals are investigating along with the NYPD.
“It doesn’t look like there was anything improper being done, but that’s still part of the ongoing investigation,” Healy said. “People in the industry should be very well aware of the safety procedures and the best practices to make sure that equipment is being utilized properly and safely.”
