Brooklyn building evacuated after construction causes cracks

MIDWOOD (WABC) -- More than a dozen people are out of their homes in Brooklyn Tuesday after a construction project next door cracked their building.

Inspectors on Monday afternoon deemed the building, located at 3405 Kings Highway in the Midwood section, unstable and ordered a full evacuation.

City officials are also coming down on the Bohemia concrete corporation doing the work next to the six-story apartment building.

The company has been issued three violations for failure to protect adjoining structures and failure to safeguard people and property.

Residents were told to leave after cracks in the brick became so large and so severe that the structure was considered in danger of collapse.

The FDNY, buildings department and Red Cross responded, and residents were put on buses and given assistance.

Residents say they began noticing problems after the massive construction project got under way next door.

"I've seen a lot of cracks come, and my walls, if you look above the window, you'll see a crack that comes right up alongside the window, and then comes up and then turns the corner around to the construction site," one resident said. "And that wasn't there about a week ago."

Once the backfill operation was completed, most of the residents were allowed back inside their apartments. But 17 residents (13 adults and four children) in 12 B- and C-line apartments, where there is a crack on the interior wall, are expected to be out of their homes for at least several weeks.

No injuries were reported.