Queens house explosion hurls NYPD officers, sparks massive fire rescue

A routine domestic-violence response in South Ozone Park turned into a blast scene before dawn Thursday, when a Queens house exploded as NYPD officers tried to enter, knocking seven officers and one sergeant off their feet and sending a five-alarm fire racing through the block.

Police said the 911 call came in at 2:42 a.m. from 107-33 130th St. after a family member reported that a relative had arrived intoxicated, armed with a knife, and that there was a smell of gas inside the home. Officers reached the house just before 3 a.m., roughly 16 minutes later, and were given a key by a family member to go in. As they tried to make entry, the home exploded at about 2:57 a.m., violently throwing the officers back into gates and the ground.

The suspect was identified as 50-year-old Anroop Parasram. Police said he had forced his way into the basement apartment by pushing in an air-conditioning unit and had threatened family members. Investigators also said he was seen on surveillance video carrying two garbage bags filled with canisters of unknown substance, and law enforcement officials believe he used gasoline and intentionally set the fire before the blast.

Even after the explosion, the officers got up and rushed into the burning house to rescue trapped residents, including children. Seven NYPD officers and one sergeant were hospitalized with injuries ranging from burns to a head laceration that required stitches, and officials said they were expected to recover. Several civilians were also taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.

The fire spread to a neighboring home and damaged multiple houses, displacing at least 16 people. Authorities said all 11 residents of the building were accounted for, including seven people living on the upper floors and four in the basement. A body later found in the rubble was believed to be Parasram, and teams using cadaver dogs and a drone continued searching the wreckage as the investigation moved forward.

Jessica Tisch posted bodycam footage from the response and praised the officers’ actions. Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh said, “We got very lucky today; this could have turned out very differently.” Records reviewed by police also showed three expired orders of protection against Parasram, along with prior police calls to the home, raising fresh questions about how a volatile domestic call escalated into a mass-casualty fire scene.