Tragedy Averted in Brownstone Collapse; Dozens Displaced but No One is Hurt

Thirty-seven people have been displaced by the collapse, at 241 Carroll St. in Carroll Gardens, officials said

Tragedy was averted Monday when debris from the partial collapse of a Brooklyn brownstone piled onto a children's bunk bed in the middle of the night -- but the family was on vacation and no one was home.

Thirty-seven people have been displaced by the collapse, at 241 Carroll St. in Carroll Gardens, officials said. 

No one was injured when the exterior rear walls of the century-old building crumbled at about 1 a.m., police said. Children who were attending day camp hosted by the school next door weren't in the building at the time, and instead were doing activities in the park.

The partial collapse impacted all four floors of the brownstone, exposing bedrooms and kitchens.

"It sounded to me like someone was throwing a large amount of bricks into an empty dumpster," said Scott Lehr, a neighbor, who said he is temporarily staying at the Marriott.

Officials said five people were asleep in a fourth-floor apartment at the time. They all escaped safely.

The Buildings Department plans to demolish the four-story brownstone, and has evacuated that house and the four adjacent buildings. The FDNY is investigating the cause of the collapse.

"These buildings are upwards of 90, 100 years old, and fatigue sets in and gravity in this case has taken over," said FDNY Deputy Chief Robert Strong.

Neighbors didn't ever expect to see a brownstone in the area crumble.

The buildings are "much better than new construction," opined Susan Sporer. "As tough as it gets. Thick walls and good foundations." 

The building did not appear to have any prior violations.

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