New York City high-rise apartment building partly collapses

Part of a high-rise apartment building in New York City collapsed on Wednesday morning, with a corner of the edifice reduced to a pile of rubble.

The city’s fire department said it had no immediate reports of injuries. It said it was responding to a report of a gas explosion that collapsed an incinerator shaft in the 20-story building in the Bronx borough.

The building is city-owned public housing. Multiple messages seeking comment were left with the housing authority.

Video from the scene shows a high-rise with one corner collapsed from the ground floor to the roof. Videos by nearby residents showed a cloud of dust billowing over the block moments after the collapse, which happened at about 8.10am.

Firefighters work near the site of a partial building collapse in the Bronx borough of New York, on 1 October 2025. Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/AP

The city’s mayor, Eric Adams said he was briefed about the emergency and officials were still getting a full assessment. “Please avoid the area for your safety,” he wrote on X.

City police said they received emergency calls about a building collapse just after 8am on Wednesday at the Mitchel Houses building.

“Upon arrival, officers observed a partial building collapse,” police said in a statement.

Incinerator shafts in New York City buildings were once used to dispose of trash, which was then burned on site. But they have largely been replaced with trash compactors, which can use the same chutes.