Internal collapse of 5-story building in Manhattan

An uninhabited 5-story building internally collapsed on December 21, 2018.

The building is located in Lower Manhattan, New York. The roof of the structure fell apart causing the floors beneath to collapse. Thankfully there were no victims. The incident caused debris to spread through nearby scaffolding. An apartment building was evacuated and nearby streets were closed. Due to the collapse, a decision for immediate demolition was made. Workers will utilize hand tools during the demolition as a precaution.

Frank Leeb, Fire Department Deputy Chief of New York, stated that all the floors of the building collapsed, "from the roof all the way to the first floor, in a pancake, which is a straight down fashion. There is no visual sign from outside, so just from looking at it out here, you will only see minor damage to the building."

According to Leeb, rain and wind might have contributed to the collapse, however, the cause of the failure remains unknown.

The building was under renovation since September 2018. The owner, Tom Grainger, stated that minor construction work was conducted including the removal of few debris. Now, the main focus of the owner is the safety of the construction.