Two women were injured — one of them critically, according to the FDNY — after a generator exploded inside a Midtown Manhattan, NY parking garage on Thursday night, sending heavy metal vents flying across the street.
The explosion happened just after 9 p.m. at an eight-story parking garage on East 53rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, officials said.
According to the NYPD and FDNY, a small pressure blast occurred inside the generator’s venting system in the building’s basement. The force of the explosion caused the vent assembly to blow off the generator, break free from the building, and launch across the street — right into two 25-year-old women who were walking nearby.
FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Abbamonte described the incident as “some sort of backdraft or a back puff” from an emergency diesel generator that caused the vents to violently detach and shoot outward, NBC News reported.
Both victims were immediately rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The FDNY said one woman arrived in critical condition, while police later reported that both women suffered minor injuries.
Authorities remained on scene for hours examining the basement generator and assessing the structural safety of the garage. The investigation into what caused the pressure malfunction is ongoing.
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Wow this article is all over the place. First it was a small pressure blast, then explosion, one woman was in critical condition then they suffered minor injuries, WTH??