Two EMI workers were installing some parking signs in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. "So I told them, get out of here;" Said Bill. "Nice;" Said the other worker, Ross. "HELP! HELP!" Screamed a woman running out of a building about 50 feet away. "What's wrong?" Shouted Ross. "There's a fire and people trapped!" She screamed. "Shit!" Said Bill leaping down the ladder he was on. "This is EMI unit 44; we need FDNY to 556 Hudson Street;" Said Ross his portable radio. Ross and Bill ran up the stoop and into the building. It was a brownstone apartment building.
Another EMI truck braked to a halt outside of the building, the yellow paint gleamed in the sunlight as the yellow strobe light pulsed off the walls of the surrounding buildings. Rrrrr BBAHHT! Rrrrr, Rrrrr! Screamed the siren of a FDNY pumper as it pulled up in front of the building, a ladder truck closely behind. An EMI worker aimed a fire hose from his 'Works Truck' at a window with fire in it. "Two of our guys are in there attempting to rescue some civilians;" Said the other worker from the Work Truck. "I right, Joey, Teddy get your Hallagans; yelled the fire captain. BOOOOM! *Sounds of wood and bricks falling to the ground, screams of people ducking and running away.* "Holy shit!" Yelled a firefighter. "Dear god;" Said the fire captain. The EMI worker with the hose crawled away from the building; the hose spraying around, twisting and turning in the air. Bits of wood and other debris fell around the area. The captain grabbed his radio mic. "This is Engine 34; we've also had an explosion dispatch me a second alarm and 5 ambulances." The Ladder truck's ladder slowly rose in to the air and turned towards the building, while three more EMI units arrived putting up barrier boards and caution tape blocking the road off, and helped clear neighboring buildings and evacuate civilians.
An EMI employee was checking a storage room below street level two buildings down. He opened the door and shined his flashlight inside. EMI FDNY! Anyone-;" His light hit something that made him stop. He quickly tuned back up the steps to the sidewalk. "BOSS! Get over here!" He yelled. The boss quickly ran over; "What?" "Look;" Said the employee aiming his light into the building illuminating several propane tanks with a black plastic electronic box on top of them and a spilled drum of kerosene, and they could see liquid all over the floor. "GET BOMB SQUAD OVER HERE!" Yelled the boss. The fire captain ran over to the two workers and saw the stuff in the room. "This is Engine 34 reporting a 10-41 at our location; we need the bomb squad here;" Said the captain into his radio, motioning for the two workers to leave the area.
News Transcripts...
EMI reports that 16 people were killed in the explosion, the cause is under investigation. Huston Street between W 11th Street and Perry Street is closed and completely blocked off. Residents on the street have been temporarily relocated to a Red cross shelter at a near by church. The New York City Fire Department asks anyone with information call their toll free tip-line 1-80...
Details remain sketchy and unconfirmed...
What appears to be an explosion of epic proportions...