Photo: Anadolu
A high-rise building in the Bronx partially collapsed on Wednesday (October 1) morning, sending emergency crews into action. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) reported the incident on Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven area, where a gas explosion and incinerator shaft collapse occurred at the Mitchel Houses complex. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported so far.
About 40 apartments have been evacuated as a precaution.
Witnesses described hearing a "loud boom" before seeing part of the building's wall peel away.
"The fact that half of the building is gone and you felt it...luckily everybody was able to get out safe, but feeling it and the intensity, and going downstairs, you could barely go downstairs, everybody is trying to go downstairs. People were carrying babies, people got no shoes on, got no coats, no hats, it's cold outside," a resident told WABC.
The FDNY, along with the New York Police Department and other emergency services, are conducting search-and-rescue operations. The city's Emergency Management department has confirmed that Con Edison has shut off gas to the affected building, and a temporary shelter has been set up at a nearby community center.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is monitoring the situation and advised residents to avoid the area for their safety. The city's Department of Buildings is on-site to assess the structural integrity of the remaining structure.
Video recorded by a resident in a nearby building captured the moment part of the building collapsed, sending debris raining down the side.