Bricks litter sidewalk after Manhattan facade collapse
CHELSEA, Manhattan (WABC) -- A building facade came crashing down in Lower Manhattan Monday morning, leaving the sidewalk littered with debris.
Luckily, no one was injured when the bricks began falling outside the building on West 20th Street in Chelsea.
No cars were parked near it due to alternate side of the street parking rules.
Water damage is being eyed as a possible cause.
Inspectors with the New York City Department of Buildings were on the scene, and the preliminary inspection determined that a piece of masonry fell from the decorative arch over the main entrance and fell onto the front steps.
"We take this extremely seriously," the DOB said in a statement. "We are conducting a full investigation and will issue violations and take additional enforcement actions, if necessary. Building owners are responsible for maintaining the facade of their building and we will work to ensure owners take that responsibility seriously."
First responders removed the remaining section of the arch that had not collapsed, and inspectors said the remaining facade was stable and not in danger of collapse.
The investigation is ongoing.
----------
