Commuters were stopped in their tracks Wednesday morning after an explosion sheared off the side of a high-rise apartment building in New York City.

Local outlet ABC 7 has attributed the horrifying incident to a gas fault that collapsed an incinerator shaft running up the 17-story block. The remainder of the building appears to have been unaffected by the incident and there are no reports of injuries at this stage, with two New York Police Department K-9 units having reportedly been sent in to search through the rubble.

Residents have expressed their shock and horror in the aftermath of the collapse. “We heard a boom [that] sounded like a bomb!” one resident said, as another described how “my mom came knocking on my door and we ran out as soon as we could. I had no shoes on, but it sou

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