On the same day that a gas explosion killed two people and leveled three buildings in the East Village, a nearby building had its gas shut off as a precaution. But six months later, tenants there still have no working gas. Marc Santia reports.
Months after a gas explosion destroyed a corner of the East Village, bringing down three buildings, killing two people and injuring nearly two dozen others, residents in a nearby building remain concerned over gas leaks but are frustrated over the inability to get their cooking gas turned back on.
A NBC 4 New York viewer said in an email she hasn't been able to prepare a hot meal since March after Con Edison shut off cooking gas and heat to her building, when a leak was detected just hours after the Second Avenue explosion.
"We've just been using the Foreman grill and a hot plate," said Maria Goy, who lives in a building one block from where the explosion happened. "That's it."
But six months later, there's still no gas in the building housing 12 apartments and five businesses.
Property manager Barbara Chupa said the owner began repairs on the building immediately after the gas leak, and tenants are getting hot water because the building owner purchased two hot water tanks, which are operated by electricity.
The plumber has also done repairs, and city inspectors now have to check the work. If they green-light the fix, Con Ed then has up to 14 days to turn the gas back on.
A spokesman for Con Ed said the gas should be flowing even sooner than that. The building said it's hoping to pass inspection which means gas could be coming back to the building by mid-October.
Initial evidence recovered from the explosion site showed signs of physical tampering with the gas line or meters, and that the building's owners may have been siphoning gas for more than a year.
