A Bronx gas explosion on Bivona Street displaced 117 households and 349 people last week, the largest of 25 emergencies that drove the American Red Cross in Greater New York to assist 562 residents across the five boroughs between January 19 and January 25, the agency said.
The Bivona Street blast on January 24 was not merely a fire: a gas explosion tore through the high-rise and ignited a four-alarm fire, killing one person and injuring roughly 15 others, including a firefighter, while the building was evacuated, amNewYork reported. The FDNY said the explosion followed a man allegedly stealing a stove and leaving the gas on, according to NBC New York. As of the disaster-response summary the Red Cross released January 26, the incident accounted for the 117 households and 349 people cited above — more than 60 percent of the total people the Red Cross helped during the week — though the agency’s figures evolved as relief continued; the Red Cross cared for 56 households early that morning and later said it helped 376 residents after the gas explosion. The agency said it responded to 411 people affected by eight emergencies in the Bronx alone, the borough that drew the heaviest response.
Beyond Bivona Street, the Red Cross said its Bronx cases included a January 19 fire on East 169th Street that affected two households and four people; a January 20 fire on Glebe Avenue affecting 11 households and 16 people; a January 21 fire on Trinity Avenue affecting two households and five people; and a January 23 fire on Belmont Avenue affecting two households and seven people. The agency said a January 24 fire on the Cross Bronx Expressway affected one household and two people, while two more January 25 fires — on Grand Avenue and Eastchester Road — affected eight households and 23 people and five households and five people, respectively.
In Brooklyn, the Red Cross said it helped 83 people affected by nine emergencies. Those included a January 19 fire on Lincoln Road that affected one household and five people; a January 19 fire on Pacific Street affecting two households and five people; a January 21 fire on Madison Street affecting two households and 10 people; and a January 23 fire on Avenue D affecting four households and 13 people. The agency said January 24 brought three additional Brooklyn fires, on East 52nd Street, 84th Street and Avenue W, together affecting more than two dozen additional people.
The Red Cross provides emergency assistance such as temporary lodging, financial support and recovery casework to people forced from their homes by fires and other disasters. The agency listed its media contact as [email protected] and 646-627-9328.
