VIDEOS/PHOTOS: Firefighters scoured a mound of rubble to ensure no one was trapped Monday evening after a corner of a seven-story Bronx apartment building collapsed, leaving apartments exposed like a stack of shelves and a convenience store partly buried under bricks and wood.
The collapse happened at 1915 Billingsley Terrace near West Burnside Avenue in the Morris Heights neighborhood around 3:30 p.m. Firefighters used buckets, power tools and heavy equipment to pick through the debris, while officials kept a watchful eye on the portions of the building that remained standing.
"Our main objective is to get to the bottom of that pile," Fire Department Chief of Department John Hodgens said at a news conference. "We'll be here until it’s down to the street level, just to make sure if there are any victims under there, hopefully we can get to them in time."