Floor partially collapses inside lobby of Queens apartment building
NEW YORK -- There was a close call in Queens Wednesday after the lobby floor of an apartment building partially collapsed.
Officials said it was unsafe for tenants to leave through the lobby, so they had to climb to the roof to exit.
Outside 93-43 222nd Street in Queens Village, contractors were seen carrying plywood into the basement, and could be heard building a temporary platform in the lobby.
Earlier Wednesday, a large portion of the lobby floor suddenly caved in, plunging into the building's basement. It left a 10-foot hole.
Many tenants had to use fire escapes at the top of the 3-story building to escape.
"We were told that tenants had to go up to the roof and then over to another building and come out though another entrance," Franddy Rodriguez of the American Red Cross said.
Red Cross officials said no one was injured, but 14 families have been impacted, with many now staying in shelters.
"We will try and get these families a place to stay for the time being," Rodriguez said.
Tenants said before the sudden cave in, there were some warning signs from the building management about the unstable floor.
"There was a collapse in the floor, to be careful, and there was caution tape across it," one tenant said.
Others who live in nearby buildings that are part of the complex are questioning how something like this could happen.
"Wow, that's bad," neighbor Sandra Watson said.
"It's horrible. They should be on top of stuff," neighbor Shirley Renwick said.
Department of Buildings inspectors quickly rushed to the scene for a structural stability inspection, and have issued a violation to the building for "failure to maintain the structure."
According to the city's HPD overview, the building has 42 complaints and 40 violations in recent years.
One neighbor said she has been having problems with her building, which is part of the same complex.
"Mold, lead, chipped paint, leaks," Vanessa Villada said.
Now she has structural stability on her mind.
"I am wondering how structurally safe our buildings are. This is an ongoing thing," Villada said. "I need to start filing reports to see if our building is structurally safe."
Officials are still trying to figure out how and why the floor collapsed.
There's still no definitive timeline of when it will be completely safe for tenants to go back home.
We tried to reach out to the landlord for their side of the story, but have not yet heard back.
