On the ground level of one building is a Spanish Christian church; the other has a piano repair shop on the ground floor.
There are approximately 4-5 levels of apartments on top of those places.
by mariano.castillo edited by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 2:49:12 PM
FDNY says it now has 138 firefighters on the scene.
It's being treated as a five-alarm fire -- a major event.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 2:50:50 PM
CNN's Poppy Harlow reports from the scene that's she seen two people being carried out on stretchers. Earlier, officials said that 11 people had been taken to the hospital for treatment.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:01:11 PM
Terror not suspected
Law enforcement officials tell CNN they are not seeing any terror connection in the Manhattan explosion. The leading indication is that this was a gas explosion, the sources said.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:03:38 PM
Massive response
We're now told that 168 firefighters from 39 units are responding to the collapse.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:04:34 PM
From the scene
Smoke is everywhere around here, and it is very, very thick
CNN's John Berman
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:10:18 PM
One death confirmed
We've just heard from the NYPD that one man has been killed in the collapse.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:11:48 PM
Gas detected?
Neighbors tell investigators there was the smell of gas before the explosion, law enforcement sources tells CNN's Shimon Prokupecz.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:13:54 PM
Location
Here's a map from my colleague Sean O'Key that pinpoints where the explosion happened.
It's in Harlem, north of Central Park.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:16:42 PM
From the scene
CNN producer Rose Arce sent this image showing the emergency response.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:21:24 PM
"1644 Park Avenue appears not to be there anymore."
--A NYPD Detective to CNN's Poppy Harlow, describing the site of the 5-story building
by mariano.castillo3/12/2014 3:23:52 PM
Emergency crews react
Firefighters respond to the fire on in Harlem.
Rescue workers remove an injured person at the scene of the explosion.
1 of 2
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:31:23 PM
President Obama informed
President Obama was briefed on the Harlem collapse by Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, reports CNN White House producer Kevin Liptak.
A White House official added: "The White House will to stay in close contact with the federal, state and local partners responding to this incident.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone impacted by this incident and commend the first responders working tirelessly to save lives and contain the fire.
"The President will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.”
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:36:35 PM
Update on injuries
Some 16 people have been injured, fire officials say in a tweet.
Shortly before this morning's blast, New York utility Con Edison received a call about a possible gas leak from an apartment building nearby, a Con Edison official told CNN. A utility truck was dispatched but the explosion happened before it arrived, the official said.
CNN's John Berman says an odor was reported at 9:13 a.m. from 1652 Park Avenue, just a few doors from 1644 and 1646 Park Avenue.
CNN iReporti was actually right on the next building while i heard a huge explosion inside my apartment i thought the Metro North derailed, the whole building just shaken for a moment. i ran downstairs and took ...
by Dorrine Mendoza3/12/2014 3:46:32 PM
Mayor arrives
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is now at the scene of the disaster.
We hear NYPD commissioner William Bratton is on his way as well.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:48:55 PM
Details from gas company
Con Edison, the local power company, is tweeting out what happened when.
It says a call of a gas odor came in at 9:13 a.m. and a crew was sent out two minutes later. That crew got there just after the explosion at 9:40 a.m.
A second person has died as a result of the Harlem building collapse, a New York Police Department officer told CNN. Both of the dead are female, according to the officer. An earlier report said a man had been killed.
The names of the women have not been released.
by Rachel Clarke3/12/2014 3:59:28 PM
More fire crews
There are now more than 250 firefighters working to tackle the blaze and search for victims.