'I'm not OK': Over 140 people displaced after building partially collapses in the Bronx

Maridelsa Fana, a New York City school bus driver, was looking for a place to park Monday afternoon when she heard what sounded like an explosion.

By the time she looked up at her rearview mirror, an entire corner of the seven-story apartment building where she's lived for over a decade had fallen in a massive heap onto the street below. She sped down the block and leaped out of the passenger door, afraid the entire building would topple over.

No one was seriously injured or killed but the more than 140 residents who lived in the building, like Fana, have had their lives upended by the building's partial collapse.

"I haven't been able to sleep," Fana, 50, told USA TODAY. "I'm not OK."

What happened to the building?

The right corner of the century-old apartment building in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx – made up of 47 residential units and six businesses – crumpled around 3:30 p.m. Monday. Firefighters responded within two minutes, evacuated the building and immediately began searching through the rubble.

"Miraculously, no one was severely injured at the partial building collapse at 1915 Billingsley Terrace," Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in a post on X. "From looking at the scene and surveillance footage, it could have been so much worse."

Two people received minor injuries while they were fleeing the building. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Red Cross had registered 141 people – 37 households – for assistance, including meals and emergency housing. Among those displaced were 31 children.

Building's facade was unsafe, 2021 inspection found

The building, built in 1927, was flagged as having an unsafe facade in 2021, said James Oddo, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings in a news conference Monday evening.

He said a report submitted by the building's owner in 2021 found seven unsafe facade conditions, including cracked bricks and deteriorating mortar, though, he noted, "Unsafe facade conditions is not the same as an unsafe building." Work on the building's facade was being done as recently as a few days ago, Oddo said. It's what the work entailed and whether it was completed.

Drawings submitted by the building's owner as part of the permit process "speaks to the" section of the building that collapsed, Oddo said.

"Obviously, we'll take a strong look at that," he said. "Our engineers hope to be able – once given the green light from FDNY – to get into the building ... to do an inspection, and we'll have more answers after that."

In the last two years, the building has been the subject of 179 complaints, raging from heating issues to a collapsed ceiling, which was reported in November and was soon closed following an inspection by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. There were also 103 open property violations dating back to May 2019, according to the HPD website.

'I don't know where we're going to go'

Fana shares an apartment with her boyfriend on the third floor. A few doors down is her son's apartment, where her cousin also lives with her two children.

On Monday night, Fana stayed with her brother while her son and cousin spent the night with extended family. She hasn't been able to return to her home since she left for work Monday morning. The building has been cordoned off by authorities since the collapse.

Inspectors were poised to enter the structure Tuesday afternoon, said Ryan Degan, a spokesperson for the City of New York Department of Buildings. He said the investigation into the collapse is ongoing.

Fana said while she's thankful she and her family are safe, she dreads the thought of searching for a new apartment, considering the city's high rent prices and her modest income.

"We're going to have to move out of there – no question," she said. "But I don't know where we're going to go."

Christopher Cann is a breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him via email at [email protected] or follow him on X @ChrisCannFL.