A possible explosion ripped through multiple homes in South Philadelphia Thursday, causing them to collapse and leaving at least two people trapped in the rubble. Meanwhile, the blast could be heard blocks away and evacuated residents reported windows were blown out of their homes.
Police said officials responded to the 1400 block of South 8th Street about 11:30 a.m. Thursday after receiving multiple calls about a house explosion and the smell of gas. Authorities couldn’t offer details regarding the status of the people trapped, but fire commissioner Adam Thiel said firefighters were “still in rescue mode” as of 1:30 p.m.
Lisa Marie Cerra, who lives at 8th and Reed Streets, said the explosion shook her home so much that her son was thrown out of bed. She said she and other residents were trying to help someone trapped under debris when firefighters arrived on scene.
“We saw her feet," Cerra said, "and then they couldn’t get to her.”
At a news conference, Thiel said firefighters “went into a fully-collapsed building that was on fire to try to rescue somebody.” After firefighters arrived, he said, another building partially collapsed. He said others in the area were “significantly compromised, if not collapsed.”
“That secondary collapse, that’s hurting us right now,” Thiel said with regard to the rescue efforts, “but we’re not giving up.”
Emergency crews on the scene, including more than 120 members of the fire department, were evacuating some who live on the block in case of another explosion, though Thiel couldn’t say how many people were evacuated from the area. He said officials were conducting a block census.
A spokesperson at Philadelphia Gas Works said gas service was shut off to 10 homes in the area, but PGW did not immediately confirm the incident was gas-related. An investigation remains underway.
Officials with the department of Licenses and Inspections said only that an Office of Emergency Management team and an L&I emergency response inspector were on route.
Firefighters battled the flames from the street and adjoining rooftops. They pumped water on neighboring buildings in an apparent effort to prevent fire from spreading.
Meanwhile, onlookers were crying as they watched the homes burn. A woman was carried away from the scene by first responders and a neighbor said the woman’s son was thought to be trapped inside.
The effects could be felt blocks away. “I was in the office upstairs, and it felt like a three-ton air conditioning compressor fell on the roof," Jeffrey Beres, general manager at Geno’s Steaks, said. "I looked at the monitor to see if a car had run into the side of our building, because the whole building shook.”
Termini Bros Bakery on 8th St. was forced to close, and several employees can’t leave due to road closures. Vinny Termini, one of the owners, said one employee’s car was parked on the street in front of the house where the explosion occurred.“ It sounded like a bomb went off.
"Our whole building shook,” Termini said. Initially, he thought the explosion was internal, but quickly realized it happened down the block and joined neighbors walking down the street towards the building.
As we all got closer, it was obvious it was an explosion, because all the windows of all the neighbors’ houses and stores around were blown out,” Termini said. “Some neighbors were in the rubble, looking for people. It was upsetting, very upsetting.”
A landlord who owns three homes on the block, Al Nicotra, said his tenants called to tell him their windows had been blown out.
A police officer was seen delivering a dog to a man waiting on Dickinson Street. The man kissed the dog when the officer handed it over.
Others in the area tweeted videos showing smoke that could be seen for blocks.
Philadelphia emergency management officials warned residents to expect traffic tie-ups in the area and delays on surrounding streets.
Staff writers Caitlin McCabe and Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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