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Car explosion in NYC damages homes and vehicles in Queens, video shows

Surveillance video shows car explode on NYC street
Surveillance video shows car explode on NYC street 01:40

NEW YORK -- An explosion in New York City damaged nearly a dozen homes and vehicles on Friday morning. 

Surveillance video shows the moment a parked car exploded just before 7 a.m. in Queens, damaging homes and other vehicles on the block. 

Authorities said it's not entirely clear what caused the car to suddenly blow up on 133rd Street near 131st Avenue in South Ozone Park. 

"This vehicle was being used also for some construction. There were some pressurized cylinders in the vehicle. One of those cylinders experienced a failure. That experienced this catastrophic explosion of the car," FDNY Deputy Chief George Healy said. 

The blast shattered windows on five homes and five other cars, but no injuries were reported. 

Blown-up car used for family's plumbing business

Dinell Harricharan, who owns the vehicle that exploded, said he forgot to remove tools and equipment belonging to his family's business from his car about an hour before the blast. 

"We're plumbers. We have battery operated tools, so we have all the tools in the car. We have an acetylene tank in the car we used for soldering," Harricharan said. "We always take it out every evening and take it inside in a safe spot, in the garage. But last night for some reason we didn't take it out." 

The exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Authorities said it's unlikely any foul play was involved. 

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