New York

Woman Dies Weeks After New Jersey House Explosion That Killed 1 Other Person, Injured 13: Police

A second person has died as a result of an explosion at an Elizabeth, New Jersey, home last month that injured more than a dozen others, authorities said.

Elizabeth police said 26-year-old Kimayha Henderson died Thursday morning from injuries she suffered in the Nov. 11 blast, believed to be caused by a breach in the gas line.

The explosion blew the roof off the Magnolia Avenue duplex, killing Femi Brown, a 24-year-old man expecting his first child with his girlfriend, who was injured in the blast along with 14 others, including Henderson and an 11-year-old.

It's not clear what type of injuries Henderson suffered. A few days after the explosion, Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage said only two of five victims remained in critical condition at St. Barnabus Hospital's burn unit. 

Experts investigating the blast agreed there was a breach in a gas line in the building, which has illegally converted apartments, Bollwage said in the days after the explosion.

When tenants who were living in the home moved out in September, the gas was turned off and a gas-powered dryer was removed from its connection, Bollwage said. On Oct. 1, new tenants moved into the first-floor apartment, and over the next few days, someone turned on the gas.

Authorities are also looking at the possibility a gas line was not properly capped after a dryer was removed from the property, according to Bollwage. 

Three structures near the home will need to be demolished because of structural damage, officials said Wednesday. At least 30 people were placed in hotels after the blast.

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