Dramatic video shows inside of unstable building in Midtown Manhattan
New video shows buckled columns within the unstable building on East 42nd Street that forced multiple evacuations of nearby buildings.
The 37-story unstable building is in the midst of being converted from an office to a residential building.
In addition to the buckling columns, the video shows other components that have buckled, including what appears to be metal drywall framing. Windows are said to have cracked.
"Two structural columns have buckled, in addition to multiple cracks and sagging floors. The building remains unstable. Since arriving on scene, we have seen additional movement in one of the compromised columns," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. "If the floor is deemed to be secure, engineers will enter and begin shoring up the building."
Mamdani said the FDNY deployed drones to assist the Department of Buildings in their investigation.
"This is an extremely serious situation, and I am thankful to our first responders for quickly arriving at the site and to New Yorkers for reacting calmly, and with urgency," Mamdani said.
Mamdani said all workers have been accounted for, and there have been no reports of injuries.
A frozen zone has been imposed from 40th-45th streets between First and Third avenues. They are closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
"I want to encourage New Yorkers to avoid the area until it has been deemed safe to reenter," Mamdani said.
The FDNY said they have protectively established a "collapse zone."
Mamdani called it a "minute-by-minute" situation.
"First and foremost, we want to thank the FDNY, NYPD, and DOB for their quick response. The safety of everyone at and surrounding the building is our number one priority. We're thankful there were no injuries, and as the DOB clarified, no debris fell from the building. We want to confirm that the affected area is a small section of one of the two buildings on this site. As the FDNY spokesperson noted, the entire building itself is not at risk of collapse," developer Metro Loft said in a statement.
A civil engineer told CBS News New York the situation is "very concerning," and said the office to residential conversion added additional complexities to the situation.
