Police say the incident happened at around 5:40 a.m. on West Avenue when a house exploded, which caused several other homes to catch fire.
News 12 is told a firefighter was hurt when part of a chimney collapsed on him. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
It’s not clear if anybody else was hurt.
The Meadowmere Park neighborhood in the Five Towns area is currently shut down to everybody except for first responders. Rockaway Turnpike is also closed in the area.
There is no word yet what caused the house to explode.
A gas explosion rocked a neighborhood in Long Island, causing a fire that destroyed at least one home and damaged a couple neighboring homes as well.
The explosion the residential street in Meadowmere Park, which borders Queens, around 6 a.m., East Rockaway officials said.
Fire departments from surrounding towns – East Rockaway, Oceanside, Hewlett, and others – responded to assist. FDNY officials said they were called to respond as well.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries and at least three homes in total were damaged, according to the FDNY.
The Rockaway Turnpike was closed in both directions between Brookville Boulevard and Peninsula Boulevard due to the fires.
Firefighters are battling multiple homes on fire after a gas explosion in Meadowmere on Sunday morning.
It was not yet clear how many injuries were reported, but it appeared that some people did need medical attention.
Drivers were advised that Rockaway Turnpike is closed in both directions between Brookville Boulevard and Peninsula Boulevard due to a house fire. Motorists should avoid the area.
Officials are on the scene to determine what caused the initial explosion.
