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FDNY: 1 dead, 3 others injured in Brooklyn blast

NEW YORK -- One person was killed and three more were injured Saturday in an apparent explosion and fire in a Brooklyn building, authorities said.

The blast apparently ripped the facade off the three-story building in the Borough Park neighborhood, leaving its upper two floors gaping open.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said during a late afternoon news conference the female victim was found in the stairwell of the building, CBS New York reported.

Nigro said the victim has not yet been identified by police because fire crews are still working to make the building safe to enter.

"The fire is under control, it's not spreading," added Mayor Bill de Blasio.

De Blasio said the incident "shows some signs of being gas-related."

Authorities said the blast happened while changing out a stove in the second floor apartment. Nigro said there were no reports of odors of gas prior to the explosion.

Nigro said the three other people injured were a 27-year-old man, a 33-year-old father and his 10-year-old son. He said they were walking right in front of the building when it exploded and were injured by flying debris.

One of the men is in critical condition, while the other man and boy suffered minor injuries, officials said.

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Firefighters work at the scene of a major house fire in Borough Park, Brooklyn on Oct. 3, 2015. CBS New York

Authorities said one person who lives in the building was unaccounted for, but stressed that they were not sure if they were home or somewhere else entirely.

"We cannot confirm their whereabouts," de Blasio said.

Five firefighters were also injured while battling the blaze, which is expected to smolder through the evening, officials said.

The fire started around 1 p.m., and smoke was still billowing out of the building three hours later.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire. Firefighters were hosing down an adjoining building late Saturday.

The neighborhood is largely residential but the affected building had a business on the ground floor.

A message left by the Associated Press at a possible phone number for the building's owner wasn't immediately returned.

A spokeswoman for National Grid said staffers for the utility were on the scene working under the direction of the Fire Department.

She said the building's gas was shut off for safety.

City Department of Buildings staffers also headed out to assess the damage.

The Fire Department said the injuries to the other three victims were not life-threatening.

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