New Yorkers were rocked yesterday by an explosion in the basement of an 11-story building in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. At least 40 people were injured, 12 critically, in the blast which scattered glass and debris onto West 19th Street between the Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue.
Investigators with the fire department and State Department of Environmental Conservation are focusing their investigation on a sign manufacturing company that occupied several floors of the building. According to officials, Kaltech Industries Group was in possession of several volatile chemicals at the time of the accident. Investigators say employees may have been transferring the chemicals to different containers shortly before the explosion occurred. A spokesperson for Kaltech denied the allegations.