Part of New York City high-rise residential building collapses after explosion
Authorities are probing a possible gas leak after a massive chimney fell away from a public housing building in the Bronx
A massive brick chimney running 20 storeys up the side of a New York City residential building collapsed after an explosion on Wednesday, sending tonnes of debris plummeting to the ground.
The falling bricks buried a pavement, landed on the playground of the public housing building and sent a cloud of dust billowing over the block in the Bronx, but amazingly did not injure anyone.
“We avoided a major disaster here,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson at a news conference.
Mayor Eric Adams confirmed no injuries or deaths were reported in the collapse of the chimney, which rose up the side of the building from the boiler room. Authorities learned of an explosion just after 8am and were trying to determine if there had been a gas leak.
The mayor noted that October 1 was typically the first day that heating systems are turned on for the season.
One resident, Merlyn Olivo, said she was in her flat when she heard a large noise like a bomb.