A 31-year-old man has burns over 70% of this body when his garage workshop in the Whitestone section of Queens exploded yesterday at 7 p.m. The explosion was so strong, the garage's roof blew off and WCBS 2 reports, "Witnesses said the explosion sent shockwaves throughout the neighborhood and one woman added that a vase full of flowers was knocked over inside her house -- and she lives three blocks away."
Justin Cohen, 31, was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx The NYPD says that the fireball may have been ignited when the lights were turned on; according to the NY Times, the fire was "apparently caused by high-octane fuel." WCBS 2 said that, according to sources, "Cohen is involved in drag racing and had high-octane fuel in his workshop -- along with fireworks, car parts and other chemicals. Investigators speculated some of the highly flammable fumes may have self-combusted -- and triggered the explosion."
FDNY Deputy chief Steven Kubler said, "The Hazmat guys say it looks like kind of a vapor explosion because it's even throughout the whole structure. It's not concentrated in one area."
