Firefighter dead, 10 injured in 'drug lab' explosion in Bronx, NYC

Initial reports spoke of at least five people injured, including two firefighters, following a "gas explosion" at a house on West 234th Street.

Firefighters showed up at the location around 6:30 am local time, to investigate reports of a gas leak. What they found was a homemade drug laboratory, which exploded as police and firefighters were investigating, local media reported citing law enforcement sources.

The explosion took place just after 7:30 am local time, injuring four police officers and a FDNY battalion chief, reported the New York Post. The chief, later identified as Michael Fahy, was rushed to the hospital but "could not be saved."

Ten people were injured by the blast, including six police officers, local media have reported.

Several streets around the scene have been closed off, local media report. The FDNY is bringing the fire under control.

Police are still investigating the cause of the blast.

One Twitter user said the explosion sounded like a “huge boom.”

A witness from a neighboring house told the New York Post he heard a “big explosion.”

“Everyone came out and asked, ‘What was that?’ I could see that it was serious. There are many ambulances and fire trucks. I saw black smoke.”

On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested a man identified as Julio Sacedo and specified that the explosion took place at a "marijuana grow house."