An emergency response has been declared in response to a partial building collapse around 4 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood.
The incident involved a mixed-use, three-story building, with reports identifying the address as 2625 Bedford Avenue between Newkirk and Flatbush avenues, adjacent to a construction or demolition site. An entire side of the structure sheared away, exposing interiors of apartments, stairwells, and rooms from the roof level down to the first floor, and leaving a large pile of rubble at the base, according to a report from NBC New York.
According to the FDNY, people were reported trapped beneath the rubble. Two individuals were removed from the debris, while a search continued for others who remained missing.
The report, citing FDNY officials, further indicated that several people had been injured. One account from emergency alerts stated that EMS personnel were treating a total of five civilians, four of whom suffered serious but non-lie-threatening injuries, while another was treated for minor injuries.
Conditions of those removed were not immediately available, and no fatalities had been reported as operations continued into the late afternoon.
🚨 BREAKING: A 3-story building has partially COLLAPSED in Brooklyn NY and first responders are RAPIDLY searching for anyone else possibly stranded under the rubble
HORRIFYING 💔
Several injuries reported as of now.
Pray that ANYONE in there is found imminently and kept alive.… pic.twitter.com/B1lAEn5SOr
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 11, 2026
The cause of the partial collapse had not been determined. An investigation was underway, with the New York City Department of Buildings commissioner and investigators heading to the site to assess the damage.
City records reviewed by Pix11 News indicated recent construction activity at the address. Department of Buildings records showed that the construction site next to the collapsed building, involving demolition work by N Tech Design of America at 2621 Bedford Avenue, had received a Class 1 OATH violation for allegedly continuing work during a full stop-work order.
It was not immediately clear whether the collapse was connected to the adjacent demolition or construction activity. Photos and video from the scene, including from the Citizen app and news helicopters, showed the exposed building interiors and emergency personnel examining the rubble.
Officials advised the public to avoid the area, while the city’s Office of Emergency Management and the New York City Police Department noted expected traffic delays and road closures.
No specific threats to surrounding buildings beyond the immediate proximity to the construction site and ongoing rescue work were detailed in available reports. The FDNY described the response as a major technical rescue, with operations and the investigation remaining ongoing as of late Wednesday afternoon.
Further details on the exact number of people involved and the cause of the collapse are still being determined as of this report.
