What to Know
- An explosion at a high-rise building in Brownsville hurt four people and killed a cat Thursday afternoon
- The force of the blast blew out windows of a second-floor apartment around 1 p.m. and apparently threw the cat to its death
- Fire officials said they believe an aerosol "roach bomb" led to the explosion, possibly because a resident didn't turn off a pilot light
Four people were injured and a cat was killed after a “roach bomb” led to an explosion at a high-rise apartment building in Brooklyn Thursday afternoon, fire officials say.
The blast blew out four large windows of a second-floor, corner apartment at the building in Brownsville. Firefighters rushed to the scene on Hegeman Avenue shortly after 1 p.m.
Tyrone McClean said he felt the building shake and heard a loud bang. Some residents said they felt a rumbled from more than a dozen stories above the blast.
Andre Chandler said he noticed a "subtle shake" for about 10 seconds. "And I'm on the 16th floor and on the opposite side (of the building)," he said.
It's unclear if those injured were in the apartment or hit by falling debris. They all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
A cat was killed when the force of the explosion apparently launched it out a window of the apartment. Its lifeless body was seen on the ground below, where window frames and glass littered the sidewalk.
Local
A roach bomb, or chemical fogger, works “by spraying a pesticide into the air in a confined space. It falls to the ground, coating surfaces and killing pests,” according to Terminix.
Fire officials said an incident like this usually happens when a resident uses too many roach bombs and doesn't turn off ignition sources like pilot lights on stoves. The fire marshal is working to figure out if that's what happened in this case.
