Over a dozen people were injured after a Syracuse, New York house exploded and collapsed on Tuesday, June 18.
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According to CBS News, a total of 13 people were in the house when the terrifying situation happened. Fire District Chief Matthew Craner stated in a briefing on Wednesday, June 19, that the fire and police departments are in “investigation mode.”
As investigators work with the theory that the explosion was a result of a natural gas issue, Craner said there was no sign of criminality at this point.
Following the incident, Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds revealed that crews responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls about an “explosion” that resulted in the New York house collapse.
He said first responders arrived on the scene and discovered multiple victims outside the house. Firefighters were able to pull out at least one youth out of a car buried under the rubble. “The building was indeed collapsed,” Monds continued. “It was a very dangerous scene. There were power lines down and the dangerous odor of gas.”
The fire chief noted the police and fire officials are investigating what caused the collapse of the house, which dates to 1920.
Officials Say No Bodies Were Discovered in New York Home Following Collapse
In a recent update, Fire Chief Monds stated that the extensive K9 searches of the New York home after the collapse found no bodies. He noted that there were believed to be 13 people inside the structure when it came down. All have been accounted for.
The initial reports revealed that 11 people were injured in the collapse. “We have no reason to believe that nobody is unaccounted for,” Monds explained. “All the people — from the bystanders and people that were in the home — are saying that there were 13 people.”
All 13 people in the New York house collapse were transported to nearby hospitals. Officials said the injured were in either stable or critically stable condition.
Monds did reveal that among the 13 were children and adults from two families. One family was renting the home and the other was visiting. The renters were confirmed to be Mohamad Alam Sayed Alam and Yasmida Nur Muhammad. Both are in stable condition following the collapse. They have five children ranging from 5 years to 8 months old.
One of the children, who is five, is in stable condition. Another child, a four-year-old, was not admitted after they were initially evaluated. The couple’s youngest children are in critically stable condition.
Officials noted that the homeowners were contacted as part of the investigation.