New York explosion: Manhattan Upper East Side fire

The rooftop of a six-story building was set ablaze on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Friday, August 15, 2025.

The witnesses describe it as an explosion. One of the eyewitnesses told CBS, “The entire building shook. I actually thought something, like a truck, drove into the building, or even an earthquake.”

Bienvenida Rodriguez, a resident of an Upper East Side apartment building in New York City, said, “It was just a boom, an explosion…When I look, there is fire, so I ran downstairs again and I took my dog right away. I opened the door and I started screaming, ‘Fire, fire, fire.’”

The incident occurred at 305 East 95th Street, between First and Second avenues, in the Yorkville neighbourhood.

The plumes of black smoke started on the rooftop. Fire quickly spread to the top floor and three penthouses on the uppermost level of the building.

The firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to neighbouring apartments. The superintendent of the building and three firefighters experienced minor injuries.

The cause of the explosion and fire is under investigation. The ABC 7 report suggests that it may have been caused by gas buildup in the basement of the building.

All residents were evacuated safely. The NYC Office of Emergency Management asked the residents to keep their windows shut due to the smoke and also warned about temporary traffic disruption in the area.

The initial call about the incident came shortly after 10 a.m. Within four minutes, first responders were on site. After some time fire was declared under control.

The American Red Cross is assisting those families who have lost their homes.

What was the biggest disaster in New York?

The September 11, 2001, attacks were the biggest disaster in New York.