A three-story Brooklyn building fell into the construction pit next door, where crews were digging for a project the city had approved only at three stories, killing at least eight people.
Story Highlights
- A three-story building in Flatbush, Brooklyn, collapsed shortly after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, into an excavation site next door.
- At least eight people were killed and at least 17 were hurt, including three firefighters, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
- The city had approved plans for a three-story building on the site. Plans for a nine-story building had not been approved.
- The Department of Buildings ordered all work at the site stopped, citing “unsafe construction operations causing adjacent building (1321 Flatbush Avenue) to collapse,” and is investigating.
What Happened In Flatbush
The building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue held a store on the ground floor and apartments above it. It fell into an open construction site next door at 2625 Bedford Avenue, where workers were excavating, or digging out the ground for a new foundation. The first emergency call came in at 4:01 p.m. People in the building and workers at the construction site were trapped.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said eight people had been confirmed dead and at least 17 injured, including three firefighters. Seven children were among those hurt, officials said, and at least four people were in critical condition. One victim was identified by his brother as Jose Luis Caguana, a 26-year-old immigrant from Ecuador. Officials have not said how many people were inside the building when it fell. “The numbers may change as the work continues,” Mamdani said.
The Construction Next Door
Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said the site had “a plan approved for a three-story building.” Zoning records show the developers wanted to build a nine-story building there, with 64 apartments and a grocery store on the first floor. Tigani said the nine-story plans “have not yet been approved.” He said crews were doing “excavation work on that job site.” Permits list Robert Fischman of W6 Facility X as the owner and Cheng-Yi Lin Architecture as the architect of record. The owner did not respond to requests for comment.
On Wednesday, November 11, the Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order, a city order that halts all work at a site. The order cited “unsafe construction operations causing adjacent building (1321 Flatbush Avenue) to collapse.” No one has been charged. The department says its investigation into the cause is ongoing.
This was not the first problem at the address. In April, inspectors said an “entire building was demolished” there despite a city order to “stop all demolition work,” and the city issued a violation to a demolition contractor. That violation is listed as resolved. The contractor said it did the demolition months earlier and was not doing the digging under way on Wednesday.
The Search For Survivors
Hundreds of firefighters searched the rubble through the night and into Thursday, November 12. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said a part of the building that was still standing posed a danger to rescuers. “Where our main concern is a secondary collapse,” he said. A secondary collapse is when more of a damaged structure falls after the first collapse.
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the work would take days. “We’ll continue to look until we find everybody,” she said. Police closed streets around Flatbush and Bedford avenues, and building inspectors checked whether nearby buildings were stable.
Why This Matters To Families And Property Owners
The building that fell was nearly 100 years old, built in 1930. The people inside had no say over the digging next door. City rules require builders to protect neighboring buildings when they dig deep beside them, and the Department of Buildings is reviewing what happened at this site.
For families who live beside a construction project, a city record search can show what permits a site holds and whether it has violations. Residents can also report cracks, shaking or other worries to the city by calling 311.
Sources:
cbsnews.com, nbcnewyork.com, foxnews.com, fox56news.com, gothamist.com, pix11.com