Explosion Rocks, Damages Morton Williams Supermarket

Explosion Rocks, Damages Morton Williams Supermarket
by David Greene

An early morning explosion inside a popular supermarket rocked the Kingsbridge community and blew out nearly a dozen plate-glass windows and sparking a fire.

The explosion was reported at just before 4 a.m., on Sunday, November 13, at the Morton Williams Supermarket, located at 19 East Kingsbridge Road. Firefighter’s from Battalion Company 27 quickly extinguished pockets of fire that extended into the drop ceiling.

Hours later a dozen workers were seen cleaning the walls as another group of worker’s were removing fresh produce.

One resident of the block, who declined to be identified, claimed, “It was a gas explosion, it just blew out the windows, that’s why everyone is still in there. Maybe it happened where they keep the hot food.”

Some folks had claimed that the store’s prices were a little high however, John Hernandez, had been shopping at the supermarket since 1981. Hernandez explained, “Too us it’s pretty devastating, for me I just ran over here when I found out about it.”

Now looking at the possible long-term effects of not having your local supermarket, Hernandez said, “It’s going to be a problem for my parents, because we always buy stuff over here and its going to be more difficult for us to go all the way to Fordham Road,” the site or another Morton Williams or a C-Town on East 204 Street.

“But I have a personal relationship with this supermarket,” Hernandez continued, “because it’s been here almost my entire adult life, since I was 18 years-old. I hope they rebuild, I have a lot of friend’s here and my father’s friends. But it will be rebuilt… and hopefully they will rebuild and be back again.”

The unidentified manager of the supermarket could not say if or when they would reopen.

Tensions ran high as workers were busy with the clean-up one man seemed to be taunting workers about the incident, when one worker tried to go after the man but was quickly restrained by fellow worker’s.

According to the FDNY, the fire was reported at 3:56 a.m. and brought under control at 5:10 a.m., the department reported that 106 members from 25 units responded to the call. Fire marshals continue to investigate the cause of the explosion and blaze.