House Explosion in Queens Kills Woman

A two-story home exploded Friday in a thunderous blast that shook the neighborhood, hurled debris and flames into the air and likely killed a woman inside, police said.

It was unknown what caused the explosion and fire, which left six people injured, but a gas leak was suspected.

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Gray smoke billowed from the scene as firefighters worked to put out the blaze amid piles of wreckage. Two houses on either side were badly damaged by fire and were likely to be condemned, firefighters said.

Rudi Falsetti, who lives on the next block, said "the whole block shook."

"I was laying in my bed watching television, and I heard a loud explosion," he said. "And I opened my back door to look out, and I saw debris flying in the air, smoke and fire."

A piece of roof landed in the trees.

The identity of the 40-year-old woman whose body was pulled from the destroyed house wasn't immediately released; the medical examiner was investigating. Firefighters had been trying to account for a woman who lived in the house and was reported missing.

A resident of a neighboring house that caught fire, a Consolidated Edison utility worker and four firefighters were being treated for injuries that didn't appear to be life-threatening, fire department Chief of Operations Patrick McNally said.

Con Ed crews had been in the neighborhood investigating a report of gas fumes at the time of the explosion, a utility spokesman said.

"We're working with the fire department to determine what happened," spokesman Chris Olert said.

The house was in the Floral Park section, a middle-class neighborhood of Cape Cod homes and townhouses with yards, unlike other neighborhoods where buildings are crammed together in rows.

There had been no complaints of gas leaks on the block since 2007, Con Ed section manager Bill Horgan said.