Three-Story Building Collapses In Carroll Gardens

CARROLL GARDENS – A three-story building that was home to Body Elite Gym collapsed yesterday. There were no serious injuries.

On Wednesday, July 1 at around 4:45 p.m., a building located at 348 Court Street (on the corner of Union Street) for reasons yet to be determined fell apart. According to the Department of Buildings records, the building had received a violation on October 15, 2019, for “failure to maintain building in code-compliant manner,” stating “structural cracks and bulging exterior masonry walls” as a reason for the violation.

And just three weeks ago, the building was issued a partial stop and work order because the walls were bulging over the sidewalks without any protection, DOB records show.

“Our units, when they first arrived, initiated searches within the limits of safety. There were some void spaces that we were able to search, and we were able to verify that there was no one else in the building,” FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Thomas Richardson said yesterday. “We are continuing to search the sidewalk areas around the building to verify that there was no one walking by the building at the time of the collapse. We will be working with the Department of Buildings throughout the night and into the day, and it will be an extended operation to make the scene safe.”

One person suffered a minor injury and was treated on the scene, the FDNY said.

“A patient reported being in the building at the time, and was able to get out on their own, and has been transported to an area hospital in stable condition,” Chief of EMS Operations Lillian Bonsignore said. “That’s the extent of the injuries and we don’t anticipate any additional injuries at this point.”