An investigation is underway after a truck caught fire and exploded in Long Island City on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters responded to a Department of Transportation truck fire at 47th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard shortly after 1 p.m.An eyewitness named Tom said he and his wife saw it first and then went for a closer look.
"My wife was on a Zoom call, and she smelled smoke," Tom said. "And she looked out the window and all this billowing black smoke was there. And we looked down and saw the car. We went through the door. Down the stairs, there was smoking. As we came out, we saw the fire on the truck, and we ran through a cloud of smoke onto the sidewalk and across the street.""Was really bad, really, really bad, black smoke and the smell was really bad," said Hilma Labiw.
Several nearby residents said there is another issue at hand -- their calls to 911 went unanswered and they believe the response to the fire was delayed before the explosion.Eyewitness News has reached out to the DOT for a statement.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Texas police department posts X-rays of fireworks injuries to discourage fireworks use in cityThe Burleson Police Department posted six images of X-rays they say show hand injuries caused by fireworks.
Read more »
Phoenix City Council, police department discuss campus safety options as SROs are in demand againMore Phoenix-area schools say they want school resource officers (SROs) on campus this year, but the city is struggling to provide them.
Read more »
3 children from Long Island killed in car crash on I-95 in FloridaPolice say 3 children from the Long Island town of Bay Shore were killed in a car crash on I-95 in Florida on Saturday.
Read more »
2 teen shark bites at separate Long Island beaches day before July 4th holidayLong Island officials are extra alert at a handful of beaches after a pair of reported shark attacks put beachgoers on edge on the eve of the Fourth of July. Two teenagers in the waters off Long Island suffered bites in what investigators suspect were shark encounters. The beaches, Robert Moses and Kismet, were crowded on what turned out to…
Read more »
Concern over sharks at local beaches after 2 bites on Long IslandSuffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers responded to a surfer being bitten by a shark at Kismet Beach around 5:20 p.m. Monday.
Read more »
Long Island fireworks showman facing felony charges for alleged illegal pyrotechnicsA homegrown fireworks show on Long Island was upended days before the July 4th holiday when police arrested the organizer for allegedly storing an arsenal of fireworks. Two days before the traditional fireworks display in Massapequa, the Nassau County Police Department announced the arrest of Michael Masone, the man behind the show. The department claims he was in possession of…
Read more »