The East Village building that was the center of a major fire last week had a history of improper gas work, The Associated Press has found.
City officials said a gas leak may be the cause of the explosion that occurred last Thursday and caused three apartment buildings to collapse.
In August, the utility company Con Ed received a report of a gas smell and discovered that the gas pipe to the ground floor sushi restaurant at 121 Second Ave.—where the explosion occurred—was illegally tapped.
Con Ed subsequently shut down gas service to the building for about 10 days, while the building owner made repairs to the pipeline. Con Ed deemed the repairs safe, so it restored gas service, the company said.
