Structural beams buckle in Midtown Manhattan construction site, prompting evacuations and street closures
Two support beams on the 21st floor of a 37-story building at 235 East 42nd Street collapsed, leading to evacuations of nearby structures and a frozen zone between 40th and 45th streets.
Fire officials received a report at about 8 a.m. that bricks were falling from the under-construction building at 235 East 42nd Street, between Second and Third avenues. Police were dispatched within 15 minutes, and officers were informed that construction workers on the 21st floor had observed columns beginning to give way. Raw video captured by a worker shows severely bent steel beams on that floor.
The Department of Buildings ordered the evacuation of at least nine adjacent buildings as a precaution, though the duration of the evacuations has not been determined. A frozen zone has been established from 40th to 45th streets, spanning First to Third avenues. No injuries have been reported.
"The situation is serious and ongoing," said a spokesperson for the Department of Buildings.
Emergency responders continue to assess the structural integrity of the site while street closures remain in effect.