On the morning of October 1, a blast tore apart the NYCHA high-rise in the Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood. The explosion is believed to have originated in a boiler room.
It blew a massive hole in the side of the 20-story building at 205 Alexander Ave., sending bricks and air conditioners soaring through the skies. Somehow, no one was killed or even seriously hurt.
The explosion happened just as the city flipped on the heat, and officials say a boiler pilot light may have sparked the collapse when it sent a shockwave up the chimney. That chimney, or perhaps more accurately, the building’s ventilation shaft, then collapsed.
One resident said it sounded like a bomb.
Boiler Room Explosion Triggers Building Collapse in the Bronx
First responders swarmed the Mitchel Houses, a public housin