A 50-year-old man armed with a knife allegedly triggered a fire and explosion at a South Ozone Park home early Thursday, displacing more than a dozen people and injuring multiple police officers.
9:18 AM
A knife-wielding man remains unaccounted for after he allegedly set a fire that triggered a massive explosion at a Queens home early Thursday, authorities said. The blast left more than a dozen people displaced and multiple police officers injured.
The explosion occurred just before 3 a.m. at a residence on 130th Street in South Ozone Park. Officers from the 106th Precinct and FDNY crews were responding to a reported domestic dispute when the incident took place.
Police said officers were called around 2:42 a.m. after a family member reported that a 50-year-old man, identified as Amru Parsaram, had arrived at the home intoxicated and armed with a knife. The caller also reported a smell of gas inside the residence.
Surveillance video showed Parsaram entering a basement apartment where his wife, daughter and two grandchildren lived. He was carrying two garbage bags filled with canisters containing unknown substances, according to police. Authorities said he then set a fire that triggered the explosion.
The blast caused significant damage to the structure and forced the evacuation of more than a dozen residents from the building. Multiple police officers responding to the scene sustained injuries in the explosion, though specific details about the extent of their injuries were not immediately provided.
Parsaram has not been located as of Thursday morning. Authorities continue to search for him in connection with the incident. The investigation into the explosion remains ongoing.
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