Syracuse, N.Y. — Three young children were in “critically stable” condition at the hospital after a home collapsed onto them Tuesday afternoon on Syracuse’s North Side, officials said.
Twelve people were hospitalized after the collapse at 205 Carbon St., officials said. All were in stable condition, except for the three youngest victims: an 8-month-old, 2-year-old and 3-year-old, District Chief Matthew Craner, a fire department spokesperson, said Wednesday morning.
A family of seven people rented the home, Mayor Ben Walsh said. A family of six people, also from Syracuse, was visiting at the time of the collapse, he said. All were accounted for.
National Grid was working to determine whether natural gas played any part in the collapse, Craner said. Heavy equipment is being brought in to perform pressure tests on the gas line running from the street to the home’s meter and ensure it was not damaged, according to company spokesperson Jared Paventi. Those safety checks must be completed before city investigators can get back into the home to continue their work.
Craner said investigators believe there was an explosion at the home, based on the severity of the damage. They are working to trying to find out what caused the blast, he said.
They also believe a car found under the rubble did not crash into the home or cause the collapse, Craner said, and was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Firefighters rescued a child from the car.
Multiple people called 911 shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday to report what sounded like an explosion. Two neighbors told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that their homes shook.
Firefighters found downed power lines and a heavy odor of natural gas when they arrived, officials previously said.
Firefighters worked to shore up the remaining structure before specially trained crews went inside to search for any remaining people who were trapped. They spent 45 minutes searching and found no one.
The New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control in Albany sent a team of search dogs to comb through the rubble, firefighters said. A cadaver dog was brought in by the state police.
Walsh said he was “relieved” to hear that most of the victims were in stable condition, but cautioned that, “we’re not out of the woods yet.”
Walsh added that he was grateful for the efforts of first responders and neighbors who pitched in to help people at the scene of the collapse.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home was constructed in 1920, according to county records. It is owned by Minh C. Tran, of Liverpool, records show.
There were no active code violations for the home as of Tuesday afternoon, according to city records.
Walsh said the city plans to demolish what remains of the home once all investigations are completed.
©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit syracuse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
