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UPDATE: This story was updated at 5:22 p.m. on June 20, 2024.

A Syracuse home collapsed Tuesday afternoon, hospitalizing 11 people, syracuse.com reported.

On the day of the collapse, eight of the victims were initially considered seriously injured and placed on advanced life support at SUNY Upstate University Hospital, according to NBC News. A Wednesday morning press release from the Syracuse Office of the Chief of Fire confirmed that all victims are now in stable or critically stable condition.

The Syracuse Fire Department is currently investigating the cause of the collapse, with support from the Syracuse Police Department, National Grid and the New York State Pipeline Safety Program, the release states. An official with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also assisting the investigation, syracuse.com reported.

After receiving multiple 911 calls reporting an explosion, more than 50 firefighters responded to the collapse at 205 Carbon St. shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday. When they arrived, there was an odor of gas, along with a small fire in the back of the house and multiple victims on the front lawn of the home, syracuse.com reported. The home is in Syracuse’s North Side neighborhood, about one and a half miles from downtown.

“When we arrived there was a heavy odor of gas and power lines down,” Syracuse District Fire Chief Matthew Craner told The New York Times. “But other than that I have no other information on any possible causes.”

Two families, including seven residents of the home and six visiting family members, were inside the home at the time of the collapse, the release states. The victims include four adults and nine children, the youngest being an 8-month-old who is in critically stable condition.

Wednesday’s release also includes the identities of the 13 people inside the home. The six residents of the home have lived there for around five years after relocating from Myanmar, Syracuse Common Councilor Chol Majok told CNY Central. The visiting family members had arrived in Syracuse around two weeks ago to celebrate the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, he said.

A local non-profit, New Americans Forum, is now providing aid to both families in wake of the incident, the organization told syracuse.com.

“(We’re) certainly feeling some level of relief right now at the condition of the victims, although very concerned that the three critically stable victims are among the three youngest,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said during a Wednesday morning press briefing.

Syracuse firefighters, the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and a cadaver dog with the New York State Police conducted multiple searches through the debris Tuesday. They found no sign of additional people in the collapsed home, a SFD spokesperson told syracuse.com. Firefighters also inspected nearby homes for evidence of gas leaks.

Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote in a Tuesday evening X post that she’s spoken with Walsh regarding the “tragic gas explosion.”

“New York State is offering assistance to emergency response teams on the ground and is ready to support in any way needed,” she wrote.

Authorities originally believed between 17 and 20 people were inside the home at the time of the collapse but later determined there were 13 possible residents, according to syracuse.com. All 13 have been accounted for.

Kim Wallenstein, the medical director of pediatric trauma at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, said her department treated the multiple children injured in the explosion. The child victims primarily suffered second- and third-degree burns, fractures and head injuries, she said.

Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds told reporters in a Tuesday press briefing the home collapsed onto a car, but the fire department’s investigation team has not determined whether the car had driven into the home prior to the collapse. Firefighters rescued one youth trapped in the car, he said.

The department has not completely ruled out the vehicle as being a potential cause of the collapse but are “leaning towards” the belief that the car did not lead to the incident, Craner said Wednesday.

Firefighters faced a “very dangerous” scene, Monds said. As Syracuse experiences a heat wave, the fire department is looking out for potential heat exhaustion and rotating firefighters at the scene due to the extreme heat, he said.

Syracuse.com reported that city records indicate the home has no active code violations. Authorities have not yet determined whether a problem with the home’s gas service led to the collapse, but tests conducted by National Grid indicate that the gas line leading to the home was functioning without issue, Craner said.

Authorities are also in contact with the owner of the home, who rented the building to the two families, Walsh said.

“At this point … we have shifted to an investigatory phase,” Craner said. “It’s a very methodical, meticulous process. (We’ll) leave no stone unturned throughout this investigation, and we’re going to do everything we can to determine what caused this to happen.”

Published on June 19, 2024 at 12:14 am

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu