17-story office building in Manhattan evacuated after wall partially collapses
A 17-story office building in Midtown Manhattan was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a basement wall partially collapsed.
Firefighters responded to the building on East 59th Street between Park and Lexington avenues around 12:30 p.m.
The Department of Buildings says inspectors found large cracks in the foundation wall. Authorities say the wall collapse damaged the water system, cutting water to the entire building.
The building is home to a multi-office space, including the UJA-Federation of New York, and 60 people were evacuated and sent home due to the water outage, the building manager said.
"UJA-Federation of New York is working with local authorities to address the condition of a nonstructural, non-bearing wall in the basement of our building at 130 East 59th Street. FDNY has advised there is no concern about the structural integrity of the building," UJA-Federation executive director of public relations Emily Kutner said in a statement.
There is no timeline for when the water will be restored, but employees will work remotely Wednesday regardless, officials say.
The investigation is ongoing.
