Building with many violations collapses in Brooklyn

Cleanup begins in building collapse

The FDNY says there is no indication of an explosion at 348 Court Street in Carroll Gardens.

NEW YORK - Cleanup was underway Thursday at a multistory health club shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic that collapsed into a heap of rubble in Brooklyn a day earlier.

Videos posted on Citizen app show FDNY trucks, an ambulance, and numerous police officers and other first responders near a pile of rubble and debris where the three-story building in Carroll Gardens used to stand at the corner of Court Street and Union Street.

The FDNY said that the call came in around 4:38 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they encountered a man who said he had escaped from the second floor of the building just before it came crashing down. The man was taken to an area hospital in stable condition.

There was no indication of an explosion, added FDNY officials.

The building is home to a gym, according to a check of the address. The facility, called Body Elite Gym, posted online on June 12 that the building was undergoing repairs while it remained closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"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," Body Elite Gym posted on Facebook. "When the time comes to reopen, we will be back in action and better than ever."

The post was later deleted.

Three-story building in Brooklyn collapses

A nearly 100-year-old building in Brooklyn collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.

On June 10, two days before that post, an inspector issued a partial stop-work order at the site because of unsafe conditions, according to the Department of Buildings website. And the property has a number of open violations.

The comments on the DOB record for the June 10 inspection read: "APPRX. TWENTY FEET BY FIFTEEN FEET MASONRY BRICK WALL DANGEROUSLY BULGING OVER PUBLIC SIDEWALK. NO PROTECTION PROVIDED. PARTIAL SWO ISSUED. RESPONDENT TO PROVIDE SIDEWALK PROTECTION AND ENGINEERING REPORT IMMEDIATELY."

"Avoid Court Street between Atlantic Avenue and 1st Place, and Union Street, from Henry Street to Smith Street, so that emergency operations may proceed," the NYPD tweeted.

Building collapse briefing

Officials with the FDNY and Buildings Department shared what they know so far about the collapse of a three-story building in Brooklyn. A fire official said one person managed to get out of the building before it came crashing down.

A police helicopter flew overhead to help search for anyone who may have been tapped. The NYPD tweeted that police dogs were also searching the rubble. Authorities later said they were confident no one remained inside.

An official with the Department of Buildings said the remaining structure of the building was unstable and would be demolished. The adjacent building was evacuated as a precaution.