NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Two columns buckled inside a high-rise building that’s under construction in Midtown, causing floors on the building to sag and leading to the evacuations of nearby buildings, officials said.
The FDNY said it received a call just before 8 a.m. about bricks falling from 235 East 42nd St., a 37-story tower between Second and Third avenues.
Upon arrival, members of the FDNY determined two columns had buckled on the 21st and 22nd floors and that floors were “sagging” between the 21st and 26th floors.
One of the construction workers on the crew that was on the 21st floor said that one of the beams was "folding like a cigarette."Obtained by 1010 WINS
One of the construction workers on the crew that was on the 21st floor said that one of the beams was "folding like a cigarette."
The FDNY said it was involved in a “major technical rescue response” and that a number of neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
The Department of Buildings said its inspectors were at the site investigating reports that “a steal beam was compromised” at the 21st floor.
The area around the tower was closed to traffic and pedestrians.Mack Rosenberg
According to the DOB, the location is an active permitted construction site to convert a former commercial building that used to house Pfizer offices into a residential building with over 1,600 apartments. It's one of the largest such conversion projects in the U.S.
Metro Loft Management, which is leading the conversion, said in a statement, "We are aware of what happened and are working closely with the Department of Buildings to understand the full scope of the situation."
"The safety of our workers and the public has always been, and remains, our top priority," MetroLoft said.
