Relatives of Nicholas Figueroa, 23, who had been having lunch in a sushi restaurant at 121 Second Avenue, the site of the initial explosion, reported him missing on Thursday evening. Figueroa has not been in contact since the blast, which is believed to have been caused by plumbing and gas work being carried out in the basement of the building.
At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters that the fire was a "seven-alarm incident" for the New York Fire Department, which had so far "contained the fire those four buildings." Di Blasio urged those concerned to call 311 to report anybody missing, or to check for information.
The explosion happened at 3.15 pm Thursday afternoon, just on hour after inspectors from gas and utility company Con Edison made a visit to the building at 121 Second Avenue to inspect work being carried out by private contractors on the building's gas supply.
According to a statement from Con Edison, the work failed the inspection for several reasons, "including insufficient spacing for the installation of the meter in the basement,” and the "survey conducted yesterday of the gas mains on the block found no leaks." Neither the utility company, nor the emergency services, had received any reports of a gas odor prior to the explosion, said di Blasio.
Commissioner Daniel Nigro of the New York Fire Department told reporters that approximately 250 firefighters were working to contain fires at 119, 121, 123 and 125 Second Avenue, which had spread from 121 Second Avenue, whose facade was blown off across the street before the building collapsed. Two other adjacent buildings, 123 and 119 Second Avenue, subsequently collapsed after catching fire, while in the early hours of Friday morning firefighters were still battling the blaze at 125 Second Avenue.
