By Rebecca Henely
An explosion occurred in a boiler at one of the power plants on Astoria’s Con Edison complex last night, rattling an 11-story commercial building and cracking its windows but causing no major injuries.
The blast happened at about 7:28 p.m. Wednesday in a unit operating in the Astoria Generating Station, which is owned by USPowergen, a statement from the company said. USPowergen, Con Edison and NRG Energy Incorporated all have facilities on the complex at 20th Avenue and Shore Boulevard in Astoria. A tube rupture in one of the reheat boilers caused the explosion, according to USPowergen.
The explosion broke some windows and rattled the building, USPowergen said. One employee was also taken for medical evaluation as a result of the blast, the company said.
The call came in to FDNY at about 8 p.m., said Iann Izzotto, FDNY spokesman. FDNY sent 25 units and 110 firefighters to the scene and brought the situation under control at about 10 p.m., Izzotto said. The fire company maintained a presence on the scene well into Thursday morning, Izzotto said.
Electricity service was not interrupted as a result of the blast, Izzotto said.
US Powergen said the unit where the explosion occurred underwent asbestos abatement in 1990, but the company was testing the air for airborne asbestos as a precaution, as well as assessing the damage to the unit Wednesday night.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
