NEW YORK, July 10: At least 11 people were injured on Monday as a building in Manhattan’s upper east side was brought down by an explosion that sparked a blazing inferno and plumes of thick smoke in the heart of the city.

Police told reporters that the apparent cause was a gas explosion and that a suicide was being investigated.

The four-story structure at 34 East 62nd St., between Madison and Park Avenues, came down just before 9am, a fire department spokeswoman said.

Public records show that the building housed a doctor’s and dental office.

Fire department spokesman said that they were investigating the possibility that the blast was the result of a suicide attempt.

A police official told The Associated Press that the doctor and his wife were going through a divorce and that the wife’s lawyer contacted police recently saying she had received an email in which the physician indicated he was contemplating suicide.

The doctor was being forced to sell the building because of the divorce, and authorities believe that the explosion may be related to a suicide attempt involving gas, the police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.