New York is known as the city that never sleeps, and no one knows this better than the more than 11,000 firefighters of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). Seconds after an explosion, dark smoke rose from a narrow brick building on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan’s trendy East Village. Four houses were on fire and one building had already collapsed. It was later revealed that the explosion was caused by work on the water and gas mains. The first fire engine arrived on the scene, followed by ambulances and police cars.