13 injured in explosion and collapse of house in Syracuse; investigations ongoing

On Tuesday afternoon, a house exploded and collapsed in Syracuse, New York, injuring 13 people, authorities said.

Fire Chief Matthew Craner said at a news conference Wednesday that firefighters and police are still in “investigative mode,” but investigators are working on the theory that the explosion was related to natural gas. He said there are no signs of foul play at this time.

Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds told reporters Tuesday that crews responded to multiple calls about an “explosion” and collapse in the two-story home and found “multiple victims outside” when they arrived. Firefighters had to pull at least one teenager from a car buried under the rubble, he said.

“The building had actually collapsed,” Monds said. “It was a very dangerous scene. Power lines had fallen and there was a dangerous smell of gas.”

Police and firefighters will investigate the cause of the collapse of the 1920 house, the fire chief said.

In a subsequent press conference late Tuesday evening, Monds said that extensive searches of the house with sniffer dogs had not found any bodies. The fire chief said there were believed to be 13 people in the house when the collapse occurred and all of them had been found. According to initial reports, 11 people were injured in the collapse.

“We have no reason to believe that no one is missing,” Monds said. “All the people – passersby and people who were in the house – say there were 13 people.”

The 13 people still in the house were taken to a local hospital, the fire department said in a late evening news release. Officials said in a press conference Wednesday morning that the injured were in stable or critical condition, but did not provide further details.

Monds said the patients included children and adults from two families. One family was renting the home, the other was visiting. The homeowners have also been contacted as part of the investigation into the cause of the explosion.

The couple renting the house were identified in a news release as Alam Bin Abdul Rahman, 42, and Rajumah Begum Binti Dil Mohammad, 33. Both are in stable condition. They have five children, ages 13 to 3. The four older children are in stable condition. The 3-year-old is in critical condition.

The parents of the visiting family were identified as Mohamad Alam Sayed Alam, 34, and Yasmida Nur Muhammad, 29. Both are in stable condition. They have four children aged 5 years to 8 months. The 5-year-old child is in stable condition, while their 4-year-old child was not admitted after initial treatment. The two youngest children are in critical condition.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said Wednesday that the house will be demolished after the investigation is complete. The gas line to the house has been shut off by National Grid, Walsh said.

A neighbor told CBS affiliate WTVH in Syracuse that the cause of the house collapse caused his house to shake throughout the block and that the sidewalk was covered in ash.

More than 50 firefighters responded to the collapse and had to be rotated due to the extreme heat that hit Syracuse and other parts of the country on Tuesday, Monds said.

Walsh said he spoke to New York Governor Kathy Hochul about the incident.

“Governor Hochul reached out to me directly, I spoke with her,” Walsh said. “The New York State Homeland Security Commissioner reached out to me as I was en route to the scene and also spoke with the county commissioner. And again, kudos to all agencies involved, but especially to our first responders.”