Bronx partial building collapse has some residents scared to return. Here’s the latest on the investigation.
By Christina Fan
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — A dramatic partial building collapse that sent bricks crumbling nearly 20 stories Wednesday in the Bronx remains under investigation.
Remarkably, no one was hurt. Still, many residents say other ongoing safety issues in the NYCHA high-rise need to be addressed.
A safety fence now surrounds the collapse zone in a courtyard at the Mitchel Houses on Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven section.
City agencies continue their cleanup and inspection efforts, as they try to pinpoint the cause of the explosion that led an entire corner of the high-rise to collapse Wednesday morning. Officials said the force came from the boiler room and sent shockwaves up the chimney.
The city says 38 apartments were issued vacate orders, and more than 140 residents were relocated out of an abundance of caution. Gas has also been shut off for the entire complex.
“October 1st is when the city turns on the heat. So there was an individual downstairs who was turning on the system,” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said Wednesday night. “This is an investigative theory that the pilot, before it was lit, caused this incident to happen.”
Other residents who have been cleared to stay in their homes say they aren’t sure they want to. Many said the building has a laundry list of other safety issues.
“I’m very scared. I want to know what’s going to happen with the rest of these buildings, because I hope it’s not, you know, the same condition,” one resident said.
“It’s sad that we, as New Yorkers, we have to go through this,” said resident Tania Cruz. “We never expect for something to happen like this. Going through it is just like, what’s next?”
According to city records, the building at 205 Alexander Avenue has two active violations from the Department of Buildings dating back to 2020 for unsafe facades. The most recent is from February 2024.
A group of residents plans to hold a rally Thursday morning, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide NYCHA with the funding to maintain and upgrade their buildings to prevent events like this from happening.
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