Manhattan building evacuated after 21st-floor columns buckle

A major construction site in Midtown Manhattan was evacuated and surrounding streets were closed Tuesday after two critical support columns on the 21st floor buckled, creating a significant structural hazard. The incident at 235 East 42nd Street, the former global headquarters of Pfizer, prompted a large-scale emergency response and raised concerns about the stability of the building, which is undergoing conversion into a large residential complex.

The New York City Fire Department received the first call around 8 a.m. Tuesday reporting falling bricks from the building. Upon arrival, emergency crews discovered that two structural columns on the 21st floor had failed. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, speaking at a press conference, confirmed the columns had buckled, multiple cracks had formed, and floors had sagged. He stated that the building remains unstable and that officials had witnessed additional movement in one of the compromised columns.

All construction workers were safely evacuated and accounted for, with no injuries reported. As a precaution, officials ordered the evacuation of at least nine other nearby buildings, including a school with approximately 400 children. A...