Following Monday's collapse, Bronx residents concerned about structural integrity of their buildings
NEW YORK -- There are more concerns following the partial building collapse in the Bronx.
The entire facade on one corner of the Morris Heights building on West Burnside Avenue and Phelan Place is exposed, after a section suddenly fell to the ground on Monday afternoon.
The collapse forced people from three dozen households to find other places to sleep. Officials said Tuesday it could take days before they know why a section of that building came down.
Neighbors concerned about other buildings in area
While investigators work to figure out what happened, residents in the neighborhood have expressed their concerns about the structural integrity of buildings in the area and question if where they live is safe. This as FDNY operations wrapped up at the site of the collapse.
Watch Elijah Westbrook's report
Tuesday morning began with city officials meeting just feet from the collapse site, before large machinery and vehicles were brought in to begin work on cleaning up. The sun was shining on a building that has stood since 1927, according to records. Why part of it fell remains unclear.
"But if that building is crumbling down, then they need to check all these other buildings," said Morris Heights resident Nataliya Ross.
Ross lives blocks away from the dramatic scene. People on the street can now see right into bedrooms as furniture and appliances are exposed to the day's light. The sight of the aftermath is chilling for Ross and she said she fears for her own apartment.
"Right now, we're getting construction done on our building," she said. "Some of these buildings have cracks and they're old. I couldn't sleep last night."
- READ MORE: Bronx building that partially collapsed had 7 open violations, Department of Buildings records say
Video shows part of the seven-story building falling to the ground as people run for their lives. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the collapse.
"A Christmas miracle in the midst of this darkness, no one has been injured," Bronx Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez said.
Sanchez says it's too early to say whether all of the West Burnside Avenue building will be torn down, but the Department of Buildings is evaluating whether residents can go back inside to get their belongings.
"They're doing a structural assessment. That is what's happening now, so they're looking at beams, they're looking at support structures, columns, making sure that if ... we do allow people to walk in, that there's not going to be collapse of any additional structures," Sanchez said.
CBS New York has found more than a half-dozen open violations with the property, including one dating to March of 2021, according to the Department of Buildings. It reveals issues with the façade, though officials said the violations don't pertain to the structural integrity.
Area residents said construction was happening around the building and question if it had anything to do with what they saw.
"We see the big rocks start falling down, then the whole building starts falling down in seconds," said a bodega owner across the street.
Many questions still loom about how and why the collapse happened.
Residents recount fleeing collapsing building
Crews continued cleaning up debris Tuesday in preparation to demolish part of the building.
The challenge for residents is they have much needed documents, like their IDs, inside, and even more urgently, some have pets stuck inside that they are desperately hoping can be rescued.
Over and over again, we keep hearing what a miracle this was that no one was injured or killed, as the collapse happened at a busy corner with a bus stop and kids hanging out after school, and in nicer weather, it's a gathering spot.
Watch Lisa Rozner's report
Tuesday, tenant Jacqueline Tomlinson was still wearing the clothes she ran out with.
"I just felt like a big shake and I said, 'What the hell?'" she said.
Her son called her to get out, but tenant Sharlene Vargas' mom got a different warning. She was in the third floor corner room that's now exposed, almost falling into the street.
"She was sitting in my bed. She got a little chest pain, but then she started seeing the ceiling starts cracking ... And then as soon as like a little bit of the roof or ceiling fell down, she saw the sky and she started running," Vargas said.
Vargas had picked up an extra work shift Monday, and her toddler daughter was at day care.
"In some pictures, you can see her little jacket hanging on the door. It hurts because I worked very hard to try to give her everything," she said.
"I hear the boom, boom, boom, boom, boom," resident Pedro Rodriguez said. "Thank God we're alive."
Rodriguez was in the bathtub as his apartment building was coming down and quickly got out.
"I didn't get a chance to put nothing on. This is what I had since yesterday. They gave me something right now to put on," he said.
CBS New York's Jenna DeAngelis met the long-time resident as he was leaving Bronx Community College, where the city and Red Cross set up a service center to help impacted residents. So far, they've assisted more than 150 who are without a home, including Renee Thomas and her son.
"I think it's a dream. I'm waiting to wake up. I don't wish this on nobody," Thomas said.
Even if residents one day are able to return, Thomas says, "I'm not going back."
Adorable reunion photo credit @nycemergencymgt @CBSNewYork https://t.co/HazL5qe25l
— Lisa Rozner (@LisaRoznerTV) December 12, 2023
Tuesday, some pets remained stuck inside the building.
"My dog is still in the house. They would not let us inside to go collect my dog. I need my dog," one person said.
Tomlinson's blind cat, named Panda, is also believed to be still inside.
"The place is dark because they turn all the lights off and everything, and she's probably starving," she said.
We're told by the Office of Emergency Management, they managed to rescue at least four pets Tuesday, including Tomlinson's cat Panda.
Alex Martinez's mom was rescued from her apartment, which is next door to the collapse.
"She was by herself and then the firefighters came rushing in," Martinez said.
She was rushed out with no time to grab her bird and her cat Mimi, but thanks to Animal Care Centers of NYC, they were among the pets rescued and reunited.
"Obviously it's another family member, so we pretty much spent last night and all of today without both of them, so it was very traumatic. We're glad to have them now," Martinez said.
It's still being determined whether the entire building will be torn down.
"We are still looking for the cause of the collapse. Once we have a final analysis, we will report it to you and let you know," Mayor Eric Adams said.
"Obviously the whole place should be condemned because no one should be able to go in there. It's very unsafe," Bronx resident Vindenjea Samuel said. "It's been years ongoing. There's always minor repairs that are being done. They try to just fix things together, patch things together. Nothing is ever actually taken care of. They have scaffolding up forever."
Six businesses that were in the building are also seeking help.
"We can't get into our business, so it's like we are feeling like we basically lost 10 years of my life," said Flor Jimimian, owner of J&G Multiservices.
The Red Cross says they can put up families at hotels for the next few days, but after that, it's unclear where they will go.
A lawyer for the landlord told CBS New York no comment. We also left messages for the person listed as the landlord on the city records website.
The Red Cross is putting people in emergency lodging through the end of the week and connecting them with city agencies and nonprofits to work on long-term solutions.