You are reading

DOT truck explodes on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City: FDNY

A DOT truck caught fire and exploded on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by Lloyd Mitchell)

July 5, 2023 By Bill Parry

An explosion stunned lunchtime crowds along Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City Wednesday afternoon.

A truck from the city’s Department of Transportation was parked on Vernon near 47th Avenue when it caught fire and exploded just after 1 p.m. on July 5. The four DOT employees who were working on pothole repairs in the Long Island City area parked their truck and went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. They noticed the vehicle smoking and it eventually caught fire before ultimately exploding, causing the evacuation of several stores and restaurants along the corridor.

None of the four DOT employees were injured in the blast.

“Safety of our employees and others is a top priority and we will investigate today’s truck fire,” a DOT spokesman said.

While the DOT workers were unharmed, two civilians suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention from EMS at the scene, according to the FDNY.

There were no injuries to firefighters who responded and brought the fire under control a short while later.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Jamaica school evacuated after a high pressure gas main ruptured nearby: FDNY

Students, faculty and staff at an elementary school in Jamaica were evacuated on Friday morning after a gas leak was detected nearby, officials said. The FDNY received a call just before 9 a.m. of a ruptured high-pressure gas main near P.S. 95 Eastwood, located on 179th Place between Hillside Avenue and Hillside Avenue.

“Out of an abundance of caution, this school is being evacuated to a nearby building due to an outside gas leak, off school property,” Department of Education spokeswoman Jenna Lyle said. “The school has communicated with families, FDNY is responding, and all students and staff are safe.”

NYPD School Safety Agent busted for threatening daughter with machete in St. Albans home: NYPD

An off-duty NYPD School Safety Agent was arrested and booked at the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica late last month after officers responded to a domestic dispute call at her St. Albans home.

Janet Williams, 54, of Elmira Avenue, was taken into custody on the evening of Monday, Sept. 30, and arraigned in Queens Criminal Court two days later on a criminal complaint charging her with menacing, criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon.