What to Know
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An apartment building in the Bronx partially collapsed, sending several tons of bricks cascading onto the ground on Thursday[hhmc]
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No injuries were reported, but at least eight families have been displaced from their Soundview homes [hhmc]
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Residents and neighbors say they noticed cracks on the building just days ago; it's not yet clear if the landlord was aware of the cracks[hhmc]
Eight families have lost their homes after an apartment building in the Bronx partially collapsed, sending several tons of bricks cascading onto the ground.
Chopper 4 was overhead as firefighters responded to the Fteley Avenue building Soundview Thursday evening, with bricks and debris strewn on the sidewalk and on the street. Bricks fell with enough force to mangle the front gate and cave in the awning, with some hanging precariously over the entrance.
"Thank God we're out," said Maimuunah Abdullah, who was inside with her 11-year-old son when they felt the building shake. "Thank God it wasn't a domino effect, and we're breathing. We're OK."
Abdullah said the building's front facade came crashing down in an instant.
"It sounded like an asteroid or something slammed into the ground," she said.
No one was hurt in the collapse, and the cause is under investigation. FDNY officials on scene said an occupant started some repair work but "it just looked like the age of the building, maybe weather."
Residents and neighbors say they noticed cracks on the outside of the building just a few days ago; it's not yet clear if the landlord was aware of those cracks.
"Fortunately no kid was out here with their scooter walking by, or anyone else, because it could have been a worse tragedy," said neighbor Javier Laboi.
As repair work begins on the building, the eight displaced families are being assisted by Red Cross.
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NBC
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