1970 New York City gas explosion

A gas explosion took place on December 11, 1970, at the intersection of Park Row and Ann Street in Manhattan, New York City. This tragic event resulted in 12 fatalities and left more than 60 individuals injured. The building's upper levels had recently been transformed into a Chinese restaurant, which necessitated the installation of a new gas line. Despite existing flaws, a city inspector approved the gas line installation on December 2. Although the gas service was originally planned to be activated on December 14, the restaurant proprietor arranged for it to be turned on prematurely on December 11. Several hours afterward, the restaurant—still unopened—exploded, causing injuries to customers in neighboring businesses within the same building as well as pedestrians nearby. The explosion triggered a five-alarm fire with flames reaching significant heights and was brought under control within 90 minutes by a force of 200 firefighters. In 1983, the New York Court of Appeals determined that the city bore no legal responsibility, ruling that a general duty owed to the public did not translate into specific liability.

1979 rat attack incident

On May 12, 1979, an incident occurred where a woman sustained injuries after being attacked by rats on Ann Street. Authorities linked this infestation to the burned-out site of Ryan's Cafe—a location destroyed during the earlier explosion and subsequently used as an unauthorized dumping area. To address the problem, sanitation personnel eliminated over 300 rats by applying zinc phosphide into their burrows.