Five people were injured in The Bronx on Sunday when a gas main exploded, leaving behind a smoking crater, noxious fumes — and panicked churchgoers fleeing into the street.
More than 100 emergency personnel descended on the scene near Bedford Park Boulevard and Decatur Avenue in Bedford Park, officials said.
Bystanders covered their noses and mouths as they fled the reeking fumes, which drove hundreds of churchgoers from St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of India, some leaving their shoes behind in a panicked rush to escape, witnesses told amNewYork.
The FDNY reported five injuries, all minor. Three people were taken to the hospital, and two were treated on site.
Firefighters at the scene said several people had fallen ill from the gas fumes, which could be smelled from several miles away, the outlet said.
A representative for Con Edison told PIX11 the gas-mail rupture left 21 customers without gas service but that crews were working to get the gas flowing again by the end of the day.
The explosion was reported at 9:40 a.m., and authorities deemed the situation “under control” by around 1 p.m. Nearby roads were closed, the gas lines were shut off, and the fumes are “dissipating,” the FDNY said later Sunday.