2026 New York City building collapse

Background

The collapsed structure was a three-story mixed-use building in a largely residential part of central Brooklyn. According to New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) records, it contained five units, four of them residential. An FDNY official said it housed a store at street level and at least one apartment above.

The building adjoined an open construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue. The DOB said it had recorded multiple issues with the neighboring project in May 2026, including work carried out during a stop-work order, a lack of proper overhead protection for adjacent properties, and failure to conform to the approved construction drawings.

Collapse

On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, a three-story residential building with four apartments collapsed next to a construction site in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, killing eight people and injuring 19 others, including three firefighters and seven children. Six victims died at the scene, and two died at the hospital. Four of the injured remain in critical condition. The first 911 call reporting the collapse came in at 4:01 p.m. EST.

Damage and evacuations

The building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed into the adjacent excavation site at 2625 Bedford Avenue. The collapse also tore away part of the side wall of the neighboring building at 1323 Flatbush Avenue, exposing apartments to the exterior. The neighboring building remained standing, although officials warned that portions could remain at risk of falling.

New York City issued vacate orders for 1323, 1325, and 1327 Flatbush Avenue during rescue and debris-removal operations. Residents of some other nearby buildings who had initially been displaced were later allowed to return.

Investigation

At the time of the collapse, excavation work was underway at the adjacent construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue. The site had active permits for excavation and foundation work for a planned building.

The New York City Department of Buildings issued a full stop-work order for the construction site. A Department notice described the matter as involving “unsafe construction operations” that caused the adjacent building to collapse; however, officials said that the precise cause of the collapse remained under investigation. The investigation included the construction activity at the site and the entities associated with it.