The boiler inside the Bronx NYCHA complex that partially collapsed on Wednesday was being repaired just a day before the incident, according to the Department of Buildings. Officials said it happened at 205 Alexander Ave., where the Mitchel Houses are located, just after 8 a.m. A ventilation shift collapsed after an explosion in the boiler room of the building. Parents were walking their children to the school located across the street when the explosion happened. No injuries were reported, according to authorities.
The city's fire department said it had no immediate reports of injuries. It said it was responding to a report of a gas explosion that collapsed an incinerator shaft in the 20-story building in the Bronx. Authorities said no residential units were affected. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of this event and the extent of any damage beyond the reported exterior damage to the chimney, the city's Housing authority said in a statement.
A public housing tower partially collapsed in the South Bronx on Wednesday morning, forcing residents to evacuate, New York City officials said. No injuries were immediately reported, but the fire department and other agencies said they were still responding to the scene. The building at Alexander Avenue and East 137th Street is part of NYCHA's Mitchel Houses, officials confirmed. They warned people to avoid the area as first responders continued their work.
The stunning 80-foot-long concrete frieze, "Exodus and Dance," was created in 1939 and installed in front of the Kingsborough Houses in the Weeksville section of Crown Heights - home to one of the nation's first free black communities - two years later. The historic treasure's etched reliefs depict biblical imagery and dance motifs to convey "spirituality, community and joy," proponents said.
NYCHA is looking to leverage its large footprint together with private development to help address New York City's housing crisis and the agency's own deep rehabilitation needs. NYCHA has 2,473 acres of land in the city and a population the size of Minneapolis. As of 2025, the aging NYCHA housing stock has a $78.6 billion backlog in physical repair needs after decades of federal disinvestment.