News: Home Explosion in Brentwood
(Long Island, N.Y.) Shaking the residents of 4th Street in Brentwood during the morning hours of Easter Sunday was a home explosion on their quiet block. Authorities say that a gas explosion rocked the community at roughly a quarter to eleven yesterday. Miraculously, no one was seriously injured or suffered major injuries, though the explosion’s effects were felt as far away as two towns from the site.
The home was in the process of renovations and was under the ownership of a developer known as Millennium Homes. It was sold to the developer two or three months prior to the explosion and was being prepared to be resold. While the residence was being renovated, workers were seen at the home last Friday.
The powerful explosion could be heard and felt up to a seven-mile circumference from the home and twenty-one neighbors were hospitalized for minor injuries. Some of the injuries included respiratory problems, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Thankfully, no one was inhabiting the home at the time of the incident.
About a hundred firefighters helped with the call and a team of responders began digging and drilling in the area to clean the debris scattered around the neighborhood. As the debris was being de-layered, responders tried to pinpoint the culprit of the explosion. The first wave of investigation was used to check for appliances, and the second examined breaks in the gas line.
The home’s energy provider was National Grid and investigators claim that the entire street will be treated as a crime scene. Police employed bomb-sniffing dogs to pillage through the area. Other dogs and thermal detection equipment were used to check for victims.
Neighbors claim that roofing, two by fours, and plywood were among the debris flying through the area. Scattered items were found in trees, cars, and in the homes of nearby residents. Reports stated that neighbors across the street claimed the explosion felt like an earthquake or like a plane had hit their house.
Two of the homes next door to the explosion were condemned uninhabitable by the Town of Islip. Reports stated that fire marshals and Arson Squad workers are looking for answers as to what aspects of the explosion caused such widespread damage. Many neighbors claim that they were lucky to have been sleeping and out of harm’s way during the incident.
Reports stated that adjacent neighbors claimed their ceilings and walls fell through. One neighbor, who has lived in the home for thirteen years, stated that the explosion woke him from sleep. He heard his refrigerator doors blow open and food shatter out of the compartments. After hearing noises that sounded like the sky was raining pebbles, he looked to the ceiling and saw daylight.
An estimated ten residents were sheltered by the Suffolk County Red Cross. Many neighbors claimed that there was a damper on their Easter celebrations due to the damage on their homes. Nonetheless, they say they are grateful that nothing irreplaceable had been lost in the incident.
