New York City building partially collapses after reports of gas explosion

An incinerator shaft on the corner of a 20-storey New York City apartment building collapsed on Wednesday morning after reports of a gas explosion.

The city’s fire department said it had no immediate reports of injuries.

“An investigation is underway to determine the cause of this event and the extent of any damage beyond the reported exterior damage to the chimney,” the city’s housing authority said in a statement.

Firefighters standing on the roof of a building that partially collapsed in the Bronx borough of New York. / Credit: AP

Videos taken by nearby residents showed a cloud of dust billowing over the block moments after the collapse, which happened around 8:10am.

The remaining mound of rubble was littered with air conditioners, with appeared to have been ripped out of the apartment windows by the falling bricks.

Kaz Daughtry, the deputy mayor for public safety, said on X that some apartments were being evacuated as a precaution and services for them were being made available at a nearby community center.

Mayor Eric Adams said he was briefed about the emergency and officials were still getting a full assessment. “Please avoid the area for your safety,” he wrote on X.

Incinerator shafts in New York City buildings were once used to dispose of rubbish, which was then burned on site. But they have largely been replaced with rubbish compactors, which can use the same chutes.

Around half a million New Yorkers live in aging buildings run by the largest housing authority in the US, known as NYCHA. Tenants in the systems have complained for decades about dangerous or unsanitary conditions including rodents, mould, and heat and hot water outages.