By Kerry Burke, Nicholas Williams
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Seven firefighters were injured after a blazing car explosion in the Bronx Wednesday night, officials said.
First responders rushed to the blast around 7:06 p.m. at Westchester Ave. and Fox St .in Longwood, where stunned witnesses described the fiery mayhem.
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“The fire started in the trash (outside an apartment building) and it spread under the car,” Frank Rojas, 26, an Amazon delivery driver who witnessed the eruption told the Daily News. “The car popped. There was at least two explosions.
“The first popping was from the trash and the second … explosion was the car,” he said. “The flames flew way up. It was a fireball.”
Three vehicles were damaged in the blaze — including a firetruck that was responding to the eruption, Rojas said.
“That’s my work van right there. It blew up like something from a mafia movies,” one man who works as a roofer said of his white Ford van destroyed in the incident. “The fire spread like gasoline had been poured all over the place.”
A blue Toyota Camry also exploded in the blaze, according to the vehicle’s owner.
“I got a call that my car was on fire,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified. “It started in the trash and spread. I heard some firefighters were injured. It’s so sad, I don’t have the capacity. I’m distraught.”
The fire was placed under control around 8:19 p.m.
“We were standing on the steps and a group of kids walked by and then there was a fire,” a construction worker who didn’t want to be identified, told The News. “We tried to throw water on it but it kept growing and then there was an explosion,” he said, adding the injured firefighters “were standing close by to the flames.”
It was unclear what sparked the explosion, and an investigation is underway, officials said.
EMS transported the injured firefighters to Jacobi Hospital for evaluation, the FDNY said.
Of the seven injured firefighters, five suffered burns to the hands and face. Three of the injured were admitted to Jacobi and were in stable condition, officials said.
“The burns are considered serious, but not life threatening,” FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said at a late night press conference. “The members, our firefighters, are awake, alert and speaking, but they have some serious burns. We’ll be obviously praying for them.”
Dr. Sheldon Teperman of Jacobi said at the press conference that he expects all the injured firefighters to recover.
“I was just telling the chief that I’ll be worried until they’re all home, but we do expect that they will recover from their injuries,” he said. “I would say one thing though… I was talking to each of your members, you know, a wall of fire came on them and surrounded them. What they were concerned about is their colleagues and their families. And there is a reason why we refer to you folks as New York’s Greatest.”
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