00:00Around 8 a.m. this morning, FDNY received reports of a structural issue at an active construction site on East
00:0642nd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.
00:10This is an existing 37-story building with active permits to convert it from a commercial office building to a
00:17residential building.
00:19First responders from FDNY, NISOM, and the Department of Buildings responded to the call immediately and found structural issues on
00:27the 21st floor.
00:29Two structural columns have buckled, in addition to multiple cracks and sagging floors.
00:35The building remains unstable.
00:38Since arriving on scene, we have witnessed additional movement in one of the compromised columns.
00:43First responders and structural engineers are working closely with the project engineer to develop plans to shore up the impacted
00:50floor.
00:51If the floor is deemed to be secure, engineers will enter and begin shoring up the building.
00:57As we await the arrivals of materials that will stabilize the building, DOB engineers have been investigating with FDNY drones.
01:04This is an extremely serious situation, and I am thankful to our first responders for quickly arriving at the site,
01:12and to New Yorkers for reacting calmly and with urgency.
01:16I am grateful to report that there have been no injuries at this time, and that every worker has been
01:22accounted for.
01:23The NYPD has instituted a frozen zone from 40th to 45th streets between 1st and 3rd Avenues.
01:29These streets have been temporarily closed off to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
01:34The NYPD is also deploying additional officers to ensure that the area remains secure.
01:40I want to encourage New Yorkers to avoid the area until it has been deemed safe to re-enter.
01:46I think this is a minute-by-minute assessment, and I am thankful for the work of all of our
01:51city workers in doing exactly that from the morning through this moment and then through the rest of the day.
01:55And as you heard from our DOB commissioner, the number one focus here is the safety of New Yorkers.
02:01We're thankful that at this time there are no injuries, every worker is accounted for, and now we are continuing
02:07to assess as soon as this building is stable, it then opens up the possibilities for us to shore up
02:13the building.
02:13But until that point, we are still having to measure that.
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