NYCHA building partially collapses in Bronx, no injuries yet reported by city officials

A public housing tower partially collapsed in the South Bronx on Wednesday morning, forcing residents to evacuate, New York City officials said.

No injuries were immediately reported, but the fire department and other agencies said they were still responding to the scene.

The building at Alexander Avenue and East 137th Street is part of NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses, officials confirmed. They warned people to avoid the area as first responders continued their work.

The FDNY said an incinerator shaft collapsed and firefighters were investigating a potential gas leak. City emergency management officials said utility company Con Ed has shut off the gas to the building and a community center at Alexander Avenue has been set up as a temporary shelter.

NYPD officials said no housing units appeared to be damaged by the collapse. Police responded to a 911 call for the address around 8:10 a.m., including officers from the department’s aviation and emergency service units.

The city’s buildings department said it was also responding to the incident.

A spokesperson for NYCHA said early reports indicate there was an explosion in a chimney. She said investigators were working to determine the cause of the incident and any damage beyond damage to the chimney.

City Councilmember Diana Ayala, who represents the area and was on the scene early Wednesday, said officials are considering relocating tenants from the building because structural engineers will visit each apartment to ensure they are safe. The problems that appeared to lead to the partial collapse are “a symptom of a bigger issue in the lack of investment in public housing,” she said.

The incident recalled another in the Bronx in December 2023, when a section of a seven-story apartment building in Morris Heights crumbled to the ground after construction workers removed load-bearing bricks from a corner of the property. No one was injured in that collapse, but at least six families were displaced for months after their apartments were destroyed.

This is a breaking story and is being updated.