Authorities were sifting through the rubble of a seven-story Bronx building on Monday after it partially collapsed, exposing its damaged interior.
An entire corner of the building at 1915 Billingsley Tce. collapsed onto the sidewalk below around 3:30 p.m., authorities said. A spokesperson for the FDNY said there were no reports of injuries as of Monday night, but responders were using K-9 teams to search for any people who may have been trapped.
Officials said the seven-story mixed use building included 47 residential units and six commercial units. The building was a stand-alone building and no other buildings were affected, the spokesperson added. Multiple businesses along the street were also evacuated.
Nearby neighbors gathered along nearby West Burnside Avenue in shock at the sight, with many expressing worry for the residents of the building, but also concern for the structural integrity of their own homes. Floors were left dangling, except for an apartment on the top floor, where a bedroom was visible from the street.
Angel Soto lives in the building and told Gothamist he was working from home when the collapse began.
“The ground started shaking. I thought it was an earthquake,” Soto said. “I went outside and told my mom, ‘I think it’s an earthquake. We’ve got to do something.’ So I open the door and the super was there and he said it was falling apart, the building, and we had to get out.”
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said emergency workers were tunneling into the debris pile in the hours after the collapse. They had not found anyone as of Monday night, he said.
“We don’t know what caused the corner of the building to come down, and we don’t know if any more of it is going to come down,” he said. “But we’re searching for life and that’s our main objective at this time.”
Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said the building was built in 1927 and was undergoing facade work. The building’s owner, according to Oddo,…
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