A Bronx high-rise building partially collapses with a ‘loud boom’ – but no deaths or injuries are reported
WABC, CNN
By Holly Yan, John Miller, CNN
(CNN) — An explosion at a New York City apartment building blew off a floor-to-roof chunk of the high-rise – terrifying local residents in the Bronx.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion and partial collapse of the 20-story building on Alexander Avenue. Officials said they are investigating the possibility of a gas leak.
A ventilation shaft connected to the boiler collapsed, said Robert Tucker, commissioner of the Fire Department of New York. “We believe that’s where the explosion occurred,” but that’s for investigators to determine, he said at a news conference Wednesday.
No injuries or deaths were reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. Some residents have been evacuated as a precaution, CNN affiliate WABC reported.
One witness said she called 911 after seeing smoke near the building this morning.
“I was explaining to the lady what I saw, and she was like, ‘Hold on, let me transfer you to the fire department,’” the witness told CNN affiliate WCBS.
“Before she was about to do the transfer, the whole building just – you heard a loud boom, and the thing just exploded. And it (falls) down just like that.”
A corner of the public housing building is damaged, with the wall partially peeled away, video from WABC’s helicopter showed.
First responders climbed over piles of bricks at the public housing building to investigate.
While firefighters scrambled to find anyone who might need help, the New York Police Department has been securing the scene, the NYC Emergency Management department said.
“Con Edison Gas has shut gas utility to the impacted building,” the department said.
“A community center at Alexander Avenue has been set up as a temporary shelter. MTA buses have been warranted for sheltering. Please seek alternate routes if traveling to the area and follow all instructions from emergency personnel.”
It’s not clear when residents might be able to return to the building, officials said.
About 500,000 New Yorkers live in aging buildings run by the largest housing authority in the nation, known as NYCHA, The Associated Press reported. For decades, tenants have complained about unsanitary or dangerous conditions, including mold, rodents, and heat and hot water outages.
Many of the properties date back to the mid-1900s. In 2019, a federal monitor was appointed to address chronic problems like lead paint, mold and lack of heat, AP said. At the end of the monitor’s five-year term, he noted that the primary issue for residents remained the “poor physical state of NYCHA’s buildings.”
While the cause of Wednesday’s blast remains under investigation, “we have to get a clear accounting of what happened and who is responsible,” New York State Rep. Amanda Septimo said.
“We have to get to the bottom of what happened. We were lucky that this emergency didn’t result in a loss of life, that it didn’t turn into a tragedy.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Sara Smart, Lauren Mascarenhas, Jessica Prater, Elizabeth Hartfield, Gordon Ebanks and Joel Williams contributed to this report.
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