NYC apartment building erupts in flames after massive explosion — multiple injured

A Bronx apartment building erupted in flames after a massive explosion Wednesday afternoon — with two people injured in the five-alarm blaze, the FDNY said.

The blast rocked the third floor of the five-story apartment building at 374 E 209 ST around 12:30 p.m., the FDNY said.

Officials said a blaze quickly broke out on the second and third floors of the building, and rapidly grew in little over an hour.

A scene of a four-alarm fire at 374 E. 209th St. in the Bronx on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Peter Gerber

Initial reports indicated the fire may have involved lithium-ion batteries, with multiple people trapped and one person transported. Peter Gerber

Some 270 firefighters responded to the scene, according to the department.

Two people were critically injured, with three others injured but in stable condition, according to authorities.

“We just heard the explosion,” Lisa Landin said, who was commuting home from the bus when she heard the “crazy” explosion. “It sounded like a bomb went off.”

A grief-stricken woman who said her pets were stuck in the building when the explosion went off was just around the corner when the blast happened.

“I was right around the corner. I saw the whole thing blow up in flames,” the tenant said.

“I didn’t know it was my building until one person ran to me and told me to get my dogs,” the grief-stricken woman recounted just outside the building.

“By the time I got here, they were already stopping people from coming in.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.