Three-story building COLLAPSES in Brooklyn: Gym under construction gives way and crashes onto the street below
A three-story building which was under construction and housed a gym collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.
The New York City Fire Department rushed to the scene at 338 Court Street in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood just after 4.40pm.
The building contained a gym called Body Elite, a 36-year-old company, and it had recently been undergoing repairs. It had been closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The New York City Fire Department told DailyMail.com that one person was being treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Firefighters and local authorities in New York City rushed to a Brooklyn neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon after a building collapsed
Pictured: A close up of the Body Elite Gym building that collapsed on Wednesday shows some damage on nearby buildings
Residents have reportedly complained about the building's brick exterior bulging into the sidewalk and large cracks on the property
A building collapsed in New York City on Wednesday afternoon in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood
Records reportedly show the building's brick wall had a 40-foot bulge that had no protection
'Respondent to provide sidewalk protection and engineering report immediately,' a records reportedly read.
The New York Times reports that since 2005, inspectors with New York City's Department of Buildings have issued at least eight fines over large cracks found throughout the property.
A partial stop work order was issued for failure to maintain the building on June 10 and the owner was fined $5,000, which has not yet been paid.
Locals had reportedly complained for weeks about the building's spotty foundation that bulged towards the road.
Eva Kerner, a 28-year-old Brooklyn resident, told New York Daily News that she was visiting a friend near the building when it came crashing down.
'We both felt the building tremble and looked at each other,' she said. 'I immediately thought it was an earthquake.
Kerner's friend Suzy, who was inside a nearby building at the time, said she ran downstairs to check on her parents when the collapse happened, then ran out to the street with Kerner.
'A half of the block was in a cloud of dust. We grabbed masks, we could see the entire the building wads on the road and sidewalk,' said Kerner.
Firefighters, police officers and medical personnel were pictured at the scene as authorities investigated the collapse.
Pictured: New York City firefighters rummage through the debris after a building suddenly collapsed in Brooklyn
Firefighters were seen digging through the building debris and a crane was reportedly at the scene to observe the area. A drone was also used by authorities to survey the area.
Firefighters were reportedly pulled from conducting searches because of a possible second collapse.
The cause of the sudden crash has not been revealed.
A gas leak that followed the collapsed caused authorities to ask residents move inside.
The New York Police Department has asked residents to avoid the area between Atlantic Avenue and 1st Place, as well as Union Street from Henry Street to Smith Street. Nearby businesses and stores were also evacuated, ABC 7 reports.
Body Elite Gym previously said on Facebook that it was repairing the building's exterior.
Members of the New York Fire Department inspect a collapsed building in the Brooklyn with a drone (pictured right)
One civilian was being treated for minor injuries at the scene, but no serious injuries have been reported
Body Elite Gym said on Facebook that the building's exterior was being redone and were temporarily closed
Pictured: the Body Elite Gym building before it collapsed on Wednesday afternoon
'Still working and constantly updating. We are getting an exterior makeover. Doing all the things we haven’t had the chance to do and making the most out of our downtime,' the company wrote.
'When the time comes to reopen, we will be back in action and better than ever. Once we have any information on reopening we will def be letting everyone know ASAP.'
