Hundreds of residents were recently affected by the collapse of a building in the Brox; fortunately, only two minor injuries have been reported. According to the authorities' findings, the building has several offenses involving unsafe construction circumstances.
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Bronx Building Collapse
On Monday, Dec. 11, shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time, the New York City Fire Department was dispatched to the location of 1915 Billingsly Terrace after being notified of a structural collapse.
The collapse of a corner of the seven-story building had occurred without prior notice, leaving behind rubble as high as twelve feet in some places. A section of the six-story tower was dilapidated, featuring torn walls and sagging floors, while a mountain of detritus protruded into the street. An investigation dog combed through the pile, which had twisted and mangled metal, which appeared to have been from scaffolding placed around a portion of the structure.
The firefighters were seen in the video from WABC-TV flashing bright lights into apartment windows while they were on extremely high ladders. At least one drone was also observed flying a few feet from where the wall had collapsed into the street. After some time had passed, firemen removed debris from the collapsed scaffolding by using circular saws and carting it away in buckets.
Following several hours of searching through the wreckage, the firefighters concluded that no one was trapped, but two individuals had incurred minor injuries. As mentioned, one of the injured individuals with minor wounds was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, while another person declined medical assistance.
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Unsafe Structural Conditions of the Building
Based on the information the Department of Buildings provided, the property is now facing seven open violations. The first dates back to March of 2021 and is associated with a potentially dangerous condition on the facade.
An investigative writer, Tim McNicholas, discovered Google Street View photographs from November of the previous year that reveal fissures in the corner of the building where the fall occurred. From a black-and-white photograph of the 46-year-old structure, which was captured between 1939 and 1941, it appears that the building has not undergone significant renovations on the outside.
As per James Oddo, the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings, in March 2021, the building owners submitted their latest report, revealing seven uncovered hazardous facade issues. Accordingly, bricks were damaged, and mortar was losing its strength. On the other hand, a permit is currently in effect and will remain valid until the following summer year.
Based on a letter from an inspector in November of last year, a missing mudsill at a sidewalk shelter on the property could compromise the structure's stability and potentially collapse, resulting in pedestrian injury and property damage. Nevertheless, the government claims that none of the open violations are for structural risks on the building itself, and the records indicate that the violation was for a sidewalk shed located on the property.
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