The New York Fire Department says four people had minor injuries.
"I fault the city, the landlord, the bldg commissioner who told us it was safe to go in. They should've evacuated it a month ago when they saw the cracks," said Eric Williams.
The building housed a bar on the first floor with apartments above. But nobody else was in the building when it fell.
The Buildings Commissioner says the investigation will look to see if weather played a part in the collapse.
"We need to analyze the owner's role and the contractor's role. The owner is ultimately responsible for the building," said Commissioner Robert Limandri. He adds "These buildings are from the late 1800s, fragile and must be maintained."
Eric Williams, says he only got out of the building because his son called to wish him a happy father's day. He'd been resting after running channel 7's 5 mile fight against prostate cancer, and the call woke him up. We're it not for that father's day present, Williams says he's confident he would've been trapped, or worse.
The AP contributed to this story.
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