http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/am-collapse0710,0,2406567.sto ry?coll=chi-newsbreaking-hed
Madison Avenue building collapses after explosion By WIL CRUZ, LAUREN JOHNSTON and CHUCK BENNETT Published July 10, 2006, 9:25 AM CDT A building collapsed in Midtown Manhattan this morning, brought down by an apparent explosion that sparked a blazing inferno and plumes of thick smoke in the heart of the city, the New York City Fire Department said. The four-story structure at 34 East 62nd Street came down around 8:40 a.m., a Fire Department spokeswoman said.The Fire Department so far has four reported injuries. Two of the victims were transported to New York Hospital while the other two were treated at the scene. It was unclear if anyone was inside the building. The blaze had intensified to five alarms around 10:20 a.m. with 44 units and 198 firefighters on the scene. Six injuries have been reported, including a firefighter. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, but the White House said there was no indication of terrorism. Television reports said people were trapped inside, but fire officials did not immediately confirm that. The power company Con Edison said they were on the scene at a building next door -- responding to a report from a gas customer -- when the blast occurred. Con-Edison crews were seen after the blast barricading manholes and sending teams down at the corner of Madison Avenue and 62nd Street. Several streets in the affected area were closed, affecting city bus service. The uptown M1, M2, M3, M4, M30, M66, M72 and Q32 bus lines were diverted to Third Avenue from 56th Street to 65th Street. Subway service was not affected. Public records show that the building housed a doctor's and dental office. The fire department was calling the collapse and fire a "major incident" and witnesses on the scene described hearing a large explosion before the collapse. Yaakov Kermaier, 36, a resident in a building next door, said he was outside when he heard "a deafening boom. I saw the whole building explode in front of me." "Everybody started running, nobody knew what was coming next," he said. His nanny and newborn escaped from their next-door apartment unharmed. TV host Larry King, who had been in his hotel room nearby, described the explosion to CNN as sounding like a bomb and feeling like an earthquake. "I've never heard a sound like that," King said. Thad Milonas, 57, was operating a coffee cart across from the building when he said the ground shook and the building came down. "In a few seconds, finished," Milonas said. "The whole building collapsed." Streets around the area were closed off to traffic as ambulances and rescue units responded just before 9 a.m. Dozens of onlookers stood behind police tape watching the smoke as it engulfed the Manhattan sky. Wil Cruz is a Newsday staff writer. Lauren Johnston is an amNY.com staff writer. The Associated Press contribued to this report. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/TISQkA/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
