Overview
- An explosion followed by a five‑alarm fire ripped through the five‑story building at 374 E. 209th Street in Norwood, the blast and blaze occurring on Wednesday and spreading up multiple floors.
- Three people have now been found dead and roughly a dozen others were injured, including multiple firefighters with some reported in serious or life‑threatening condition.
- Firefighters pulled crews back during the response after interior collapses, and those structural failures have kept fire marshals from safely entering the apartment where the fire began.
- Officials are still investigating the cause and are examining a possible gas explosion, a failing lithium‑ion battery or a combination of the two, but forensic work is limited by the unsafe structure.
- Dozens of tenants were displaced and the Red Cross is assisting residents while the Department of Buildings has ordered the property vacated and crews work to shore and clear the site for longer‑term recovery.