Floors Cave In At Midtown Tower, Several Buildings Evacuate: FDNY

MIDTOWN, NY — A large section of a high-rise under construction in Midtown was evacuated Tuesday morning after bricks began falling from the building and structural damage was discovered several stories above the street, according to the FDNY.

The incident was reported at 7:57 a.m. at 235 E. 42nd St., between Second and Third avenues, where firefighters responded to reports of bricks falling from the 38-story building under construction.

After arriving, crews found two structural columns had buckled on the building's 21st and 22nd floors, while floors between the 21st and 26th stories were sagging, the FDNY said.

The response grew to roughly 40 units and 130 FDNY and EMS personnel, who remained on scene Tuesday morning as operations continued.

No injuries had been reported as of Tuesday morning.

As a precaution, officials evacuated the following nearby buildings:

• 225 E. 43rd St.
• 221 E. 43rd St.
• 815 Second Ave.
• 212 E. 43rd St.
• 211 E. 43rd St.
• 235 E. 42nd St.
• 210 E. 43rd St.

The New York City Department of Buildings also responded to the scene.

The cause of the structural damage was not immediately known, and emergency operations remained ongoing Tuesday morning.

This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.