Flash, bang: Explosion at NYC hotel caused by worker who opted for blowtorch over flashlight

Updated Jul 24, 2013
The scene outside the Viceroy Hotel in New York City after an explosion. Credit: WINS-AMThe scene outside the Viceroy Hotel in New York City after an explosion. Credit: WINS-AM

In the scheme of safety fails, you could safely say this move wasn’t too bright.

Sources told CBS News that the explosion that rocked the Viceroy Hotel in Midtown Manhattan Thursday was caused by a construction worker who decided to use a blowtorch instead of a flashlight.

The worker was apparently trying to find a combination lock on a toolbox in the dark when he opted for the blowtorch instead of the flashlight. Little did he know, the toolbox was storing a canister of flammable gas.

The explosion caused was so forceful that it could be felt 27 stories high.

Incredibly, the blowtorch-wielding worker wasn’t killed by the blast, but one person was injured. Witness Hector Rodriguez told CBS that the man injured was the closest person to the blast and that “it hit him in the face, knocked him down.”

New York City’s Department of Buildings said improper storage of compressed gases was the cause of the explosion and issued a partial stop work order.

Next time, we bet the guy finds a flashlight.