A section of a 20-storey residential building partially collapsed in New York City on Wednesday morning, and authorities say there are no injuries.
Firefighters and emergency responders searched into the afternoon for anyone who may have been trapped under the mounds of rubble outside the building, which is part of a public housing development in the Bronx.
The whole building just - you heard a loud boom, and the thing just exploded, and it fell down just like that, said one witness who spoke with CBS News.
Another witness reported that a window had shattered on the 16th floor of a neighboring building due to the explosion.
The collapse seems to have originated from an explosion in the ventilation shaft of a boiler room, the city's fire commissioner Robert Tucker said in a news conference.
No apartments were damaged, but as a precautionary measure, some residents were evacuated. Others were allowed to return, but the gas supply to the building has been cut off while investigations are ongoing.
The investigation aims to determine if a gas leak caused the explosion, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Utility provider ConEd has not yet commented on the situation.
The New York City Housing Authority is also looking into the incident and assessing the overall damage. Previously, the building had a number of recorded violations.
The NYC Department of Buildings had previously issued a partial stop work order related to plumbing violations. Other active violations include a failure to report on facade safety and inspection.
A fire in the same building had left a teenage girl in critical condition just a week prior; however, she is now recovering, according to her father.
Assembly member Amanda Septimo remarked, We were lucky that this emergency didn't result in a loss of life, that it didn't turn into a tragedy. But we can't be relying on luck to keep our community safe.
