Authorities are investigating the explosion of an SUV in Queens Friday as an accident.
According to fire officials and a law enforcement source, an unoccupied vehicle parked on 133rd Street near 131st Avenue with a propane tank in the trunk exploded just before 7 a.m. Friday. No one was inside the vehicle at the time and no injuries were reported.
Debris went flying into the air, shattering the windows of at least five houses nearby. Large car parts showered onto homes and destroyed half a dozen vehicles. The SUV was seen on video engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing into the air.
The owner of the vehicle, Dinell Harricharan, stayed at the scene and is cooperating with authorities, according to police sources. He told police that he is a plumber and had a welding tank he uses for work that may have been leaking.
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"This could’ve just been something where the cylinder had a malfunction. It doesn’t look like there was anything improper being done," said FDNY Deputy Chief George Healy. "Especially with gas cylinders, they have to be stored upright, they can’t be stored on the side. So that would be looked at."
Harricharan said that his brother was about to use the SUV, but it exploded about five minutes before he was set to leave.
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Investigators were looking to what may have ignited the leaking gas tank. Harricharan was asked if someone may have turned the car on remotely.
Firefighters, Emergency Services Unit personnel and aviation support responded. The Bomb Squad also responded as a precaution, along with the buildings department and fire marshal.
Video posted to the Citizen app showed a heavy emergency response, as bystanders stood behind caution tape to watch the scene unfold. The van that exploded was completely destroyed.
No criminality is suspected at this time, officials say. The city's Department of Buildings was evaluating the structural integrity of the homes impacted by the explosion.
