New York (CNN) — At least one person is dead and 12 others injured after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed Wednesday afternoon, a fire department official said.
One person was still trapped, the official said.
The building collapsed around 4 p.m. in the central Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush, a largely residential area with a predominantly Black and Afro-Caribbean community.
A child was among those injured, New York City Council member Farah N. Louis told CNN affiliate Spectrum News NY1.
“Imagine what that child is experiencing right now,” Louis said. “That should’ve never happened.”
The building included a store at ground level and at least one apartment upstairs, according to a fire department official. A construction site was adjacent to the building that collapsed. The NYC Department of Buildings is at the scene investigating, the department said.
“That particular lot has been vacant for a long time. It used to be a senior, adult day care,” New York State Rep. Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn told NY1. “They were waiting for a permit to build affordable housing. We don’t know the details in terms of why the building collapsed but all I know is it’s been probably neglected.”
In April, a demolition contractor was issued a violation for unlawfully continuing demolition work at that site despite the Department of Buildings’ order to stop, according to city records. The violation was resolved in October and the contractor paid $10,000 in penalties, the records show.
Video from the scene shows firefighters pulling out one victim from a mountain of debris. Four firefighters placed the victim on a stretcher to remove them from the site.
First responders deployed drones to assist in the search and used flashlights as daylight waned, video shows.
As the sun set, dozens of firefighters could be seen digging through debris and sorting through items in the building to search for victims. In one moment, a firefighter can be seen throwing pillows to the side, while another moves a broken oven out of the way.
A large crowd gathered on the sidewalk behind yellow tape to watch first responders and record the scene with their cellphones as emergency vehicles with flashing lights lined the street.
Residents from neighboring buildings also stood on rooftops to see the collapse site.
NYC Emergency Management has set up a Red Cross help center for impacted Flatbush residents.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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