Five-story building collapses in New York City
Why
A vacant five-story building collapsed in Lower Manhattan Thursday morning, flattening a car and showering debris in every direction. Emergency crews - some using dogs - sifted through the rubble at Reade St. after the 6 a.m. accident. Officials haven't reported any injuries. "It was like 37 train cars coming right by your head," said Nick Palmacci, 24, who lives nearby and was awakened by the booming collapse between Broadway and Church St. Ed Ortiz, 39, works across the street at MacKenzie Doors. "I just came out this door and I seen it crumbling from the top," Ortiz said. "As the windows shattered it came straight down. It was crazy!" Ortiz said the block was deserted at the time of the collapse, which probably saved lives. "Thank God it was early," he said. "By 8 o'clock somebody would have gotten hurt." Bricks were strewn about, a thick brown cloud of dust covered the block and tentacles of wood dangled from the building's shell. The facade peeled away leaving the abandoned floors and stairways exposed. Carpenter Anthony DeRosa said he usually parks in the spot where a blue Crown Victoria was buried in debris. "That car had taken the spot and it got crushed," DeRosa, 45, said. "Usually I wind up sitting in the truck until this place opens. It was my lucky day." Neighbors said the building had been crumbling for weeks. It had recently been outfitted with corner braces, neighbors said. "We said it was only a matter of days," said carpenter Eric White, who also works across the street. "We knew it." Buildings Department inspectors, Con Edison workers and firefighters were still on the scene hours after the collapse. Residents in the area - a few blocks from Ground Zero - were alerted to the accident by an emergency e-mail service called Notify NYC.
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References:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/04/30/2009-04-30_building_collapse_at_lower_manhattan_construction_site.html,http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3139634&c=0,http://vinnyswebsite.com/blog1/video-building-collapse-nyc-lower-manhattan-new-york-043009/,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/30/nyc-building-collapse-cre_n_193516.html,http://www.khq.com/global/story.asp?s=10277864
