Emergency crews are diligently investigating the collapse of a seven-story residential building in the Bronx, examining potential causes of the incident. The collapse left apartments exposed, with walls sheared off. Despite the severity of the situation, the FDNY reported that, "miraculously," no one was found trapped in the rubble after an extensive search.
Newly acquired videos from NBC New York captured the moment of the collapse, revealing how close it came to being disastrous. In one video, pedestrians on West Burnside Avenue in the Morris Heights neighborhood walked under scaffolding moments before parts of the building and the sidewalk shed came crashing down. People scrambled for safety as debris showered down.
Another video from an MTA bus, obtained by News 4, provided a closer view of the collapse. The bus was positioned right outside a ground-floor deli, much of which was destroyed in the incident. Crushed scaffolding narrowly missed a BMW SUV.
A worker in a hard hat was seen assessing the damage to a sixth-floor apartment, where the corner room had crumbled into a large pile of debris, leaving the floor hanging at a precarious angle. The city's next step will involve tearing down the collapsed corner, although the timeline for this action remains unclear. The primary focus on the following day was assessing the structural integrity of the remaining building and determining whether demolition is necessary.
Emergency crews had responded to the scene near Phelan Place within 24 hours of the collapse, with video from the Citizen App showing a corner of the building collapsed to the street and floors sagging above the debris. The FDNY confirmed that, during their search through the debris, which reached up to 12 feet high in some spots, no trapped victims were found. Two individuals sustained minor injuries while evacuating the building, according to officials.
