By Jerry Burke and Liz McBreen
The thump Jackson and most of Lakeview heard was a fiery explosion two doors down, at the home of the Montgomery family. According to Nassau County Police, the explosion occurred at approximately 5:50 p.m., only minutes after the Lakeview Fire Department and the Nassau County Police responded to reports of natural gas leaks on Woodfield Road and Pinebrook Road in Lakeview.
According to Lakeview Chief Bob Hockenjos, members of the Fire Department concluded that the gas was emanating from beneath the street, where Woodfield Road and Lafayette Street meet.
As volunteers began evacuating the area, the house at 457 Lafayette St. exploded. "Right now we are not sure what caused the explosion," said Hockenjos. "It is possible that someone in the house was trying to light the pilot light."
KeySpan officials, who were still investigating the leak Monday morning, had not yet determined whether there was a relationship between the break and the fire.
Because police officers and firemen were only half a block away from the explosion, they were able to respond immediately. Five people were in the house at the time, including homeowner Dorolyn Montgomery and her three children, ages 3, 5 and 9, and tenant Edward Brown, 63. Montgomery and the children were taken to Mercy Medical Center, where they received treatment for minor injuries, including lacerations and burns.
Brown was taken to the burn unit of the Nassau University Medical Center, suffering from second- and third-degree burns to more than 60 percent of his body. Hospital officials said he remained in critical condition as of Monday.
According to Hockenjos, the three children and their mother were treated and released. "There were about five other people who had minor injuries in the area due to the explosion," he said. Most were treated at the scene.
The Malverne Fire Department arrived at the scene and helped to rescue the family from the home and extinguish the flames. Other fire departments were also called in after the explosion to help evacuate homes in the area. Volunteers from Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, West Hempstead, Valley Stream, East Rockaway, Oceanside, Hempstead, South Hempstead, Franklin Square, New Hyde Park and Baldwin were called in to clear out homes from Coolidge Avenue to Lakeview Road on the advice of a KeySpan representative.
"The evacuations were carried out by the fire departments with the assistance of the Nassau County Police, and the scene was secured by about 3:00 a.m.," said Hockenjos.
The Montgomerys' home was destroyed by the explosion, and two adjacent homes suffered minor damage.
The Nassau County Chapter of the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter in the gymnasium of nearby Malverne High School. According to Red Cross Director Jim Green, 156 of the approximately 250 evacuated residents took shelter at the school.
"Everybody who came in was pretty much relieved to get away from there," said Red Cross volunteer Juan Vallego, who was still tending to about 25 residents as of 11:30 p.m. Sunday night.
"Most of them were just in transit," said volunteer Ximena Rua-Merkin. "They just needed a place to get their bearings before moving on."
Vallego said that as the situation became more stable, residents were gradually allowed to return to their homes. "By midnight, only those in the immediate area of the leak will still be here," he said. Eight residents were provided with hotel accommodations by 1 a.m.
"We're still waiting around," said Melba Jones, who lives with Jackson. "I sent my kids to stay with my mother."
Jackson and Jones said they didn't smell anything out of the ordinary and weren't too concerned until her aunt, who lives down the street, started knocking furiously at the door. "Once we opened the door for her, though, we smelled it. It was awful," said Jones.
By Monday morning, the only areas still closed to traffic were Woodside Avenue and Langdon Boulevard from Clinton Avenue to Pershing Boulevard. KeySpan, which shut off gas to the area at 7:16 p.m. Sunday night, had restored service to all but a few homes by the following morning. "I don't have any heat right now," said one resident, venturing out into the record low temperatures in her bathrobe to get something from her car, "but it could have been a lot worse."
