FDNY Ceases Recovery Operations At Brooklyn Collapse Site, Leaving Death Toll At 8
By Lincoln Anderson, Evan Simko-Bednarski, Colin Mixson, Roni Jacobson, Emma Seiwell, Rocco Parascandola, Barry Paddock, New York Daily News (TNS)
FDNY firefighters painstakingly working the spot where a Brooklyn building collapsed and slid into an adjoining construction site ceased their recovery operations Thursday afternoon, leaving the death toll at eight, city officials said.
Those dead included two children and a pair of construction workers, city officials said as they continue their investigation into what sparked the devastation.
Scores of firefighters and cops used pickaxes and power saws to search for survivors through powerful storms Thursday morning as rescue dogs sniffed for signs of life. The FDNY ended its recovery operations just after 3:30 p.m., after determining there were no more victims, the department said.
The site has been turned over to the Department of Buildings and the NYPD as the investigation into the collapse continues.
Amongst the dead are 9-year-old Nicole Daniela Rodriguez and her 10-year-old cousin Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez. Nicole Daniela’s mom is believed to be among the injured survivors.
“These were our friends and our neighbors, parents and children, young families building their lives in our city, and immigrants from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Trinidad, and beyond,” Mamdani said of the dead. “This has been a very dark evening and morning for our city. We are mourning too many people who we loved.”
He praised the rescue workers who toiled throughout the night. Six of the victims who did not survive were found dead in the rubble while two died at local hospitals after being pulled from the wreckage.
“Construction workers who had only barely survived themselves turned back and dug victims out of the rubble. People are alive today because of their heroism,’ Mamdani said at the scene midday Thursday.
At about 4 p.m. Wednesday, 1321 Flatbush Ave. — a three-story mixed-use building in Flatbush — collapsed and slid into an adjacent construction site, officials said. The building had been perched at the edge of the site at 2625 Bedford Ave., where a construction crew was excavating the property for a proposed three-story building.
When the building collapsed, it took the side wall of 1323 Flatbush Ave. with it, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothing.
“Firefighters arrived on the scene in less than one minute after the 911 call first came in. Two hundred fifty firefighters and EMS personnel worked tirelessly throughout the evening, the morning, and are continuing now, searching for survivors, rescuing people from the rubble, and tending to the injured. Just because we expect this courage from the FDNY does not make it any less extraordinary.”
Also killed in the collapse was 26-year-old construction worker José Luis Caguana Cosquillo, who was working on the site next door and whose wife is about to give birth. The dead also include Gabriel Siguencia, 22, Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26, and Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31.
Fourteen residents, including a pregnant woman, and four firefighters were hurt but survived. Most of them are in stable condition but one resident is in critical, Mamdani said.
“A tragedy of this magnitude demands a comprehensive and thorough investigation that includes both the construction site and the building which collapsed,” the mayor said.
“That has already begun, with the Department of Buildings and law enforcement leading it. We will find out what happened and we will share that information with New Yorkers. There are five main entities involved with this construction site who are associated with approximately 100 other sites across the city. Our Department of Buildings is commencing sweeps of those sites today.
“The work done here over the last 20 hours has been incredibly heroic,” FDNY Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said midday Thursday as storms brought thunder, hail and even a tornado warning to parts of the city.
“We see that we are in the middle of a rainstorm but that will not stop our operations here. It will definitely hinder our efforts, but this type of an emergency is something our members are trained to do … We promise, with everything we have, we will not stop working until everyone is rescued or recovered.”
Bonsignore on Wednesday described the rescue operation as “extremely dangerous,” with firefighters facing a high risk of shifting debris and disrupting piles that endangered both those who are trapped and first responders.
The most critical hazard, according to FDNY Chief of Department Joe Esposito, was the risk of a secondary collapse of 1323 Flatbush Ave., most of which was still standing.
“This is an extremely dangerous operation for all of our people,” said Esposito.
An FDNY fire company returning from another emergency arrived about a minute after the collapse, Esposito said. Those firefighters immediately began removing people who were trapped in the partially collapsed building.
Mamdani advised drivers to avoid the area, as emergency workers shut down Flatbush Ave. between Clarendon Road and Bedford Ave. for the rescue operation.
“As emergency operations continue, please join me in holding our neighbors and the members of this community in our hearts,” the mayor said.
Images taken at the scene show a massive pile of wood and debris — which was once 1321 Flatbush Ave. — filling the construction site.
Firefighters on Wednesday were digging by hand, tossing chunks of rubble aside. As darkness fell, firefighters used flashlights to illuminate the area where they worked.
The injured were taken to local area hospitals, including Kings County Hospital.
The Department of Buildings sent inspectors to the collapsed building, where they assisted with the recovery operation and checked the structural stability of nearby buildings.
City records show that the contractor overseeing the Bedford Ave. construction site was given a violation in April for continuing a demolition operation despite a stop work order. The violation was ultimately resolved, city records show.
Housing, Preservation and Development records show that 1321 Flatbush Ave. was subject to 98 open violations, including defective doors, unsafe electrical wiring, leaking ceilings, defective fire retardant material, and missing or malfunctioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
It was not immediately clear if any of those violations would have affected the building’s stability.
The city approved permits to build a three-story building at 2652 Bedford Ave., but developers are seeking approval for a nine-story structure with a cellar, according to DOB commissioner Ahmed Tigani.
An investigation into what sparked the collapse was ongoing.
With Thomas Tracy and News Wire Services
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