Oyster Bar Blast Injures Baker
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
A small gas explosion injured one man early this morning and temporarily shut down the Oyster Bar restaurant in the basement of Grand Central Station.
An assistant baker, Miguel Castillo, was burned as he was igniting a stove, sparking a small explosion that appeared to have been caused by a gas pocket. He was taken to Cornell Hospital, where he is recovering.
His status was unclear today. A general manager of the nearly century-old restaurant, Michael Garvey, said Mr. Castillo was awake, but added, “He’s pretty banged up.”
A fire in 1997 destroyed much of the Oyster Bar, which occupies a sprawling space under the train station. The restaurant was later restored and reopened.
Today, Mr. Garvey said Con Edison and the Department of Environmental Protection were conducting tests, but said damage was limited and the restaurant would reopen tomorrow.
