Saturday, September 18, 2010
Last night we had some excitement at our apartment building. When Jace and I were leaving to see a movie (Easy A- which we did end up seeing last night and thought it was really really great) we noticed that the hallway was smokey and had a weird smell. We couldn't determine where it was coming from and so we went downstairs to alert the doorman about the smoke but upon arriving in the lobby and before I had a chance to inform the doorman of the smoke, I heard everyone in the lobby talking about some sort of explosion and pointing at all the glass in the street. Sure enough, the street was covered in glass and we noticed a window was completely blown out...on the fifth floor, OUR fifth floor! I rushed back upstairs not sure what was happening but wanting to grab my two babies, I mean chihuahua's.
Back on the fifth floor, all the neighbors were milling about saying there was an explosion and did it smell like gas? I hadn't met all of my neighbors until last night in the hallway and even realized that I only recognized a few of them. Based on where Jace and I had seen the blown out window outside, we determined it was the apartment across from the elevator and across the hallway from us. Only a few minutes later, the FDNY showed up to investigate the explosion.
We're not sure exactly sure, FOR SURE, what happened but the FDNY was saying that some sort of aerosol can had been left on the stove, which was left on, causing the explosion. The explosion blew out the window and the entire window frame. It also caused damage to the wall adjoining the apartment next door, which was shared with a 90 year old woman. The entire floor jumped into action, attending to the 90 year old neighbor who was really shaken up, calling her son who lived across the street and then retrieving the son from the now roped off entrance. Showing the FDNY where to go. Retrieving as much information from the FDNY as possible and passing it along to everyone else. We were all hanging out in the hall, shocked at what had occurred and yet in some weird way, bonding.
Outside, there were firetrucks lined up and down our street. A spotlight was lighting up the blown out window which was being cleared of glass remnants and then being covered in plastic. If I didn't know better, I would have thought there was a jumper. The spotlight, the missing window, the plastic. Crowds had formed all along the street, trying to understand what had happened.
Luckily, the apartment that had exploded was empty. We heard that a new person was just moving in and had been there to clean (hence the aerosol can on the oven), but was not there at the time of the explosion. This morning, most of the glass on the street has been swept away but you can still see pieces of glass on the parked cars that haven't moved since last night.
Note to self: Never. ever. I. mean. never. ever. leave any kind of aerosol can on the oven. ESPECIALLY IF IT IS TURNED ON.
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2 comments:
Wow. That is a crazy story. You guys have no want for excitement in NYC it seems. How cool that they had a spotlight on the window -- just like in the windows. And I am yet again impressed by how nice New Yorkers are when someone needs help. Sure they don't bother to meet neighbors unless there is a crisis but how great of them to take care of that lady.
oh my HECK that is so funny! haha I love it!!
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