The deadly Brooklyn explosion that investigators initially thought was gas-related now appears to have been caused by something else, although the exact cause remains unclear, officials said Wednesday.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the department is looking at "many different possible causes" of the explosion at 42nd Street and 13th Avenue in Borough Park Saturday that killed at least one woman and injured 13 others.
"There may have been another cause -- not gas," he said. "Could it have been some form of liquid? Yes."
It's not clear what type of liquid may have fueled the fire. Investigators are focusing on the apartment of 48-year-old Francisca Figueroa, who was likely killed in the explosion. She had been missing since the blast, and a body was recovered from the rubble Monday.
Another woman, identified Sunday as Ligia Puello, 64, who lived on the third floor of the building, was pronounced dead after the explosion.
Figueroa spoke with her sister on the phone just before the explosion, sources said, leading police to believe she was inside her apartment at the time.
Authorities intiially thought gas may have caused the blast, which blew off the front of the building, after the removal of a stove.
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But officials now say the gas was not on in Figueroa's apartment, so investigators are exploring the possibility that there was another accelerant inside. Sources said investigators are examining floorboards for traces of residue or chemicals.
For now, detectives have all the evidence they could gather and the investigation at the scene is complete
Figueroa owned a Brooklyn hair salon on 5th Avenue, where a memorial continued to grow Wednesday. Sources said she was heavily in debt and sent suicidal text messages and on social media, including telling her children to "be good" and "take care of themselves."
Friends said the idea that Figueroa would set a deadly fire on purpose doesn't make sense.
Officials have said that it's likely both the building where the blast went off and an adjacent one will eventually have to be demolished. Several other buildings in the area also remain under an evacuation order, and 49 residents were displaced in the explosion and fire.
On Wednesday, residents and business owners got new information at a community meeting. Some businesses were able to reopen their doors. Others are uncertain.
