Seven firefighters were injured when a car exploded in the Bronx, sending a giant fireball into the sky on Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The smoke-eaters were responding to a fire in front of a building between Intervale Avenue and Kelly Street in Longwood when the blast occurred around 7:06 p.m., according to the FDNY.
The explosion was captured in jaw-dropping footage that shows billowing flames and plumes of smoke towering over the street.
Seven firefighters were hurt after a massive car explosion in the Bronx on Wednesday night.Federico Cruz
Harrowing video shows residents fleeing from the flames.Federico Cruz“There was a lot of garbage and debris on the sidewalk that was on fire. There were a couple of cars on fire.
And shortly after we arrived on the scene, there was some sort of explosion, a large fireball,” Chief of Department John Esposito said at a news conference late Wednesday.
Officials said seven FDNY firefighters sustained injuries.
Three of the firefighters were admitted to Jacobi Hospital with severe burns, while the other four had minor injuries.
Five of them sustained burns to their hands and faces, officials added
“The burns are considered serious, but not life-threatening,” said Esposito, who added the firefighters are “awake, alert and speaking.”
Sheldon Temperman, a doctor at Jacobi Hospital, noted he was “worried” but expects the first responders to recover from their injuries.
“I’ll be worried until they’re all home, but we do expect that they will recover from their injuries,” Temperman told reporters.
“A wall of fire came on them and surrounded them. What they were concerned about was their colleagues and their families. And there is a reason why I refer to you folks as New York’s Bravest,” Temperman continued.
The fire was under control by 8:19 p.m., authorities added.
Pictures of the aftermath of the fires showed the hollowed-outn charred frame of the vehicle and the sidewalk littered with soot and debris.
No pedestrian injuries have been reported so far, according to the NYPD.
The extent of the firefighters’ injuries is not immediately clear.
A hazmat company, the Bureau of Fire Investigation, and the Bureau of Fire Prevention are all on the scene to investigate, Esposito said.
An investigation remains ongoing.
