Panic gripped residents in Bronx on Wednesday morning after part of a 20-storey public housing apartment building at 207 Alexander Avenue collapsed.The New York City Fire Department confirmed that a section of the structure’s corner crumbled into rubble around 8:10 am (local time) but said there were no immediate reports of injuries. Authorities suspect the incident involved the collapse of an incinerator shaft at the Mitchel Houses, a city-owned public housing complex in the Mott Haven area. However, the cause of the collapse has not been confirmed yet and investigation is underway. Video footage from the scene showed one corner of the high-rise reduced to debris stretching from the ground floor to the roof. Eyewitness videos captured a thick cloud of dust spreading across the block seconds after the collapse. New York City mayor Eric Adams urged residents to stay away from the area. “New Yorkers, I have been briefed about the emergency situation taking place in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx. Please avoid the area for your safety,” Adams posted on X. The New York Police Department said it began receiving 911 calls shortly after 8 am. “Upon arrival, officers observed a partial building collapse,” the NYPD said in a statement. Emergency personnel, including firefighters, building inspectors and Con Edison utility crews, quickly secured the site and established a safety perimeter. The city’s Housing Authority has not yet issued an official statement. Incinerator shafts, once common in New York City’s high-rises for on-site trash burning, have largely been phased out in favor of trash compactors, though older structures still retain them. Officials said they were investigating whether a gas explosion triggered Wednesday’s collapse.
