Man Arrested in Connection With Bronx Blast That Killed Firefighter, Injured More Than a Dozen Others

A firefighter was killed after being hit by debris from the explosion.

September 27, 2016, 5:09 PM

— -- A man has been arrested in connection with the explosion at a house in New York City this morning that killed a veteran firefighter and injured more than a dozen people, a law enforcement source told ABC News

Julio Salcedo, 32, was arrested this afternoon in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, the law enforcement source said.

Fire officials and police originally responded to the single-family house in the Bronx this morning after receiving a report of a gas odor, Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro said at a news conference this morning.

After knocking on the door of the home, Salcedo exited the house and fled just before the home blew up and subsequently caught on fire, according to the law enforcement source briefed on the case.

A large piece of debris from the house's roof struck FDNY Battalion Chief Michael Fahy in the head, and more than a dozen other people on the street were injured, Nigro said. Fahy and those injured were transported to a local New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where Fahy succumbed to his injuries and died.

PHOTO: A man stands on a roof and takes photos of a home that was destroyed by explosion in the early morning in the Bronx borough of New York, Sept. 27, 2016.
A man stands on a roof and takes photos of a home that was destroyed by explosion in the early morning in the Bronx borough of New York, Sept. 27, 2016.

"We lost a hero today and our members are all saddened," Nigro said. He added that Fahy and responders were able to evacuate the surrounding area before the explosion.

The New York City Police Department had been in the initial stages of investigating the home as a possible marijuana grow house at the time of the explosion, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at the news conference.

Trained eyes saw remnants of the alleged marijuana growing operation in the wreckage today, and the house was most likely being rented by a local area distribution crew, according to the law enforcement source briefed on the case.

The source added that ConEd had turned off gas to the home when officials initially responded to the report of odor.

PHOTO: An official reacts as he stands guard near a home that was destroyed by an explosion in the early morning in the Bronx borough of New York, Sept. 27, 2016.
An official reacts as he stands guard near a home that was destroyed by an explosion in the early morning in the Bronx borough of New York, Sept. 27, 2016.

Investigators are now apparently looking at possible alternate gas sources, including butane hash oil production, the law enforcement source said.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) confirmed to ABC News today that it is investigating, alongside local New York City authorities, to determine whether the blast was possibly connected to the alleged marijuana growing operation.

Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all flags in the city to fly at half-staff today in memory of Fahy, a 17-year veteran of the FDNY and a father of three.

PHOTO: This photo provided by FDNY shows New York City firefighter Michael Fahy, who was killed in a house explosion, Sept. 27, 2016, in the Bronx borough of New York.
This photo provided by FDNY shows New York City firefighter Michael Fahy, who was killed in a house explosion, Sept. 27, 2016, in the Bronx borough of New York.

Today was "a very sad day for our city," de Blasio said at the news conference.

The mayor added that Fahy "made the ultimate sacrifice to this city," and that his loss was "a reminder of the dangers that our first responders face every day, the dangers that the men and women of the FDNY face and the bravery with which they do their job."

ABC News' Mark Crudele and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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