Part of a highrise apartment building in New York City collapses after gas explosion

Part of a highrise apartment building in New York City collapsed Wednesday morning, leaving a corner of the building in a pile of rubble.

The city’s fire department said it had no immediate reports of injuries. It said it was responding to a report of a gas explosion that collapsed an incinerator shaft in the 20-storey building in the Bronx.

Video from the scene shows a highrise with one corner collapsed, from the ground floor to the roof. Videos by nearby residents showed a cloud of dust billowing over the block moments after the collapse, which happened around 8:10 a.m. local time.

The building is city-owned public housing.

Incinerator shafts in New York City buildings were once used to dispose of trash, which was then burned on site. But they have largely been replaced with trash compactors, which can use the same chutes.

More to come.