Flatiron Blast Upends Lives As Residents Left Without Answers

CHELSEA, NY — Sleeping residents were roused by a shuddering rumble Thursday as an aging steam pipe in the street below ruptured and sent a spurt of scalding steam and chunks of sidewalk shooting skyward. Still groggy, they grabbed clothes, toothbrushes and pets and stumbled outside, past firefighters frantically trying to get them out of harm's way.

More than 500 people were evacuated that day and streets of businesses shuttered. When they can return is still not known.

In total, 49 buildings were evacuated after the 6:39 a.m. blast sprayed Fifth Avenue with asbestos-laced muck 10-stories into the air. The city is assessing 44 buildings within what it deemed a "hot zone," from 21st to 19th streets between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, for asbestos contamination. As of Friday, at least 35 buildings will need to be thoroughly cleaned, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

A couple expecting twin girls to be born later this month fled their Fifth Avenue apartment overlooking 21st Street with barely more than the clothes on their backs.

“My wife is literally almost giving birth,” said the 39-year-old expectant father, who is staying with friends in the Upper East Side with his wife and did not want to be named.

"I think the information has kind of been poor to be honest. They can't really tell us when we can go back and when I went with officers today to try and get documents we need for the births, they told us the area's too dangerous for them to go in now."

NYPD officers donning hazmat suits went into the couple's apartment Thursday but were unable to go back in Friday because of the ongoing remediation, an NYPD official at the scene said Friday.

Evacuated residents were initially told those who need help retrieving important items from their homes, such as medication or pets, should reach out to emergency management officials stationed at The Clinton School at 10 East 15th St., which will remain open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the weekend.

As of midday Friday, more than 50 residents had registered at the center for assistance and information, but "barely anyone" needed help finding temporary housing, said an American Red Cross worker.

"Folks are mostly staying with their friends and family," said Phil Cogan, 69, a senior responder with the Red Cross.

Most who visited the center were being redirected to Con Edison stations set up at 19th and 22nd streets on Broadway where those who came into contact with the steam can turn in clothing and file a claim for compensation with Con Edison. Anyone possibly contaminated were told to immediately seal their clothes in a bag and take a shower.

Kelly Carrero, a lawyer who lives in the evacuated hot zone, stopped by the reception center Friday looking for more information before bringing bag loads of clothes to Con Edison.

"The asbestos aspect of it is the most disconcerting part and what it means for the potential loss of personal property and structural damage," said Carrero, who works in the Financial District where she was able to shower after the explosion while a co-worker bought her a dress to change into from JCrew.

"My building management has been great with updates, but the updates they're giving are very inexact. They're telling us it could take days to weeks before we can go home," Carrero said with a shrug. "So I don't really know."

Several businesses on the fringe of the evacuation zone were quick to reopen Friday morning with some shop keepers shrugging off asbestos concerns.

"We lost a lot yesterday, so we had to open today," said Claudia Andreani, 27, a manager at Italian-restaurant Obicà on Broadway near 21st Street. "We had two private parties scheduled for yesterday but we never even opened."

As emergency responders continued to comb through the area decked out in gas masks and hazmat suits, customers trickled into nearby cafes and restaurants with ease. Some store employees were uncomfortable returning to work beside crews conducting tests and environmental remediation, but felt they had little choice.

"I wouldn't want to be in this area for the next few months, but what can I do? I have to work," said Imani Y., who works at Juice Press on 22nd Street near Fifth Avenue.

"I was tearing up from the steam and we've been wearing medical masks. I definitely think what we breathed in will have an impact."

The Department of Environmental Protection is monitoring asbestos levels in the area and is working to determine the level of contamination to surrounding buildings. City officials warned those who live or work near the explosion site to keep their windows closed until the cleanup is completed and set window air conditioners to re-circulate interior air.

Officials determined that a water main burst at the time of the explosion, but were unclear if the leak caused the steam pipe to rupture or vice versa, said an Office of Emergency Management official.

"We’re not sure what came fist. It’s a chicken or the egg situation," said Commissioner Joseph Esposito at a Friday news conference.

Fifth Avenue between 19th and 22nd streets is expected to remain closed for "several days" as officials wash building facades, clean the streets and take a close look at the ventilation and air conditioning systems of nearby buildings, Mayor de Blasio said Thursday.

Esposito said the city aims to gradually reopen streets as swaths of buildings are assessed and cleaned, but that it's going to be "at least a few Mondays" before the entire area reopens.

More than 130 firefighters and 33 firetrucks responded to the explosion, which left a 15-foot crater in the middle of Fifth Avenue.

Lead photo courtesy of Patrick Keenan and Caroline Spivack/Patch. All other photos courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch.