Search for answers after Newark apartment explosion injures 6
NEWARK, N.J. - Six people were hurt in a massive apartment building explosion in Newark, N.J.
Investigators are now searching for what might have caused the blast, which forced the relocation of 31 people, including three children.
One of the victims is in critical condition, officials said.
The once two-story building is now a pile of rubble, with walls peeled away and rooms exposed.
Neighbors up and down South Pine Lane said they felt the earth tremble.
"I couldn't believe it. I thought it was an earthquake or something. It sounded like a bomb, that's what we thought," Newark resident Jacquelin Vicari said.
"A vibration, a big vibration. I felt it right next to me. I felt a thump," neighbor Toby Marmori said.
The apartment building, which is run by the Newark Housing Authority, came crumbling down around 6 p.m, Friday.
Five people were taken to the hospital, one in critical condition.
Witnesses said several people were trapped under the debris.
"I seen a guy from the top floor, climbing down from all of that stuff. He's in the hospital now. His legs and stuff were burnt. People that have glass in their face, I'd seen one guy's face was bleeding," a witness named Sylvia said.
One woman says her daughter was also among those hurt.
"The explosion, it knocked off her feet, so she was down on the ground. And the neighbors next door, they were taken to the hospital as well," Vanessa Holer said.
"These residents have been smelling gas over the last several months. No one has listened," neighborhood activist Donna Jackson said.
Officials have not determined the cause of the explosion, or which floor or unit it came from. It is all under investigation.
"At this point, we're just trying to assess the structural damage to the building. The city is here, our engineers are here, our counselors are here. So we're actually providing support to the Housing Authority now, so the families have the opportunity to go to a hotel, to get things out of their apartments if they can," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said.
The Red Cross said it is assisting impacted families.