Dozen Families Out Of Homes After Partial Collapse Of Vacant Building In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Dozens of Bronx residents have been evacuated from their homes after a partial building collapse.
The FDNY, Department of Buildings, ConEd utility and Red Cross responded to the scene at 1406 Prospect Avenue in the Charlotte Gardens section of the borough, reports CBS2's Matt Kozar.
Everything from the windows to the fire escape slid off a 3-story residential building into the back yard of another building where children play.
No one was reported hurt in the incident.
The DOB's preliminary investigation determined that the rear of 1406 Prospect Avenue collapsed due to deterioration of the building's wood framing along with a lack of maintenance.
The noise the collapse caused sent reverberations throughout the block, with residents saying people went running for cover.
"I didn't see it actually fall, but I was here when it went boom and then we saw smoke and flames," said Charlotte Gardens resident Tonya Dennis.
"I saw the bricks and it looked like it was sliding off, so it was breaking," said Jayden Hall.
"We heard this loud thud, and we looked outside of our bathroom window, and there was this collapsed building, and we just went downstairs to make sure everyone was okay," said Eboni DeJesus.
Officials are worried about a possible threat to nearby buildings. A total of six neighboring buildings have been evacuated by first responders as a precaution.
Engineers have deemed it unsafe and have issued orders to demolish the structure.
Inspectors have issued vacate orders for five buildings that are next to the structure that partially collapsed, which means dozens of families must find somewhere else to go.
By Saturday night, the Red Cross said 26 adults, 12 children and six pets were being put on city buses destined for nearby hotels, including 23-year-old Ruby Perez.
Despite the inconvenience, Perez says she's happy no one was hurt, including her family and five dogs.
"Unfortunately this happened, but I'm very grateful," she said. "I have my family. They're okay. We're okay."