On Wednesday morning, part of a 20‑story public housing building in the Bronx collapsed after what officials say was likely a gas explosion. Fortunately, no one was found injured.
It was just after 8 a.m. when part of the building at the Mitchel Houses in Mott Haven suddenly gave out. A whole corner basically ripped open, leaving this huge vertical gap from the ground all the way to the top floor. Bricks and chunks of debris came crashing down.
Residents reported a loud blast at the moment the collapse happened. Gas service was shut off as a precaution while crews began to inspect the building.
Merlyn Olivo, a resident, reported hearing a noise that sounded like a bomb along with the building shaking a lot.
Fire and rescue teams responded quickly. They used search dogs to look through rubble but found no one trapped. Hundreds of apartments were evacuated while looking for other risks.
“We avoided a major disaster here,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said.
The building is part of a system of New York’s large and aging public housing buildings, averaging roughly 60 years old.
The building is managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). It is part of a large stock of aging public housing across the city, some of which have long-standing maintenance issues.
When ending his five-year term in 2024, Bart Schwartz stated the biggest concern to residents was the “poor physical state of NYCHA’s buildings.”
Authorities now are working toward recovery with the city trying to restore the heat and hot water services. The other good news is Mayor Eric Adams says the building will be repaired.
“Right now we’re kicking into the next phase of this, which is recovery,” Zach Iscol said, the city’s Emergency Management Commissioner.
According to Iscol, there is a reception center for those affected by this unforeseen circumstance to receive food and other necessities.
