Building in New York partially collapses after explosion

A building partially collapsed in New York after an explosion was heard.

It happened around 9 a.m. at a building on Park Avenue between 114th and 117th streets, the FDNY said.

Fire was reported in the building and smoke could be seen rising from the area.

Huge amounts of debris littered the surrounding sidewalks and elevated tracks in the area. Windows of buildings in the area were blown out by the force of the blast, and the fire may have spread to other buildings as well.

A man who was on the 15th floor of a building on 125th Street said he saw dark smoke billowing down several blocks.

“The building shook and then we looked to see what was happening. We saw a whole lot of smoke. A lot of smoke came out,” a witness told CBS 2. “There’s a lot of dark smoke still coming out.”

“The smoke started to rise. It looked like something fell because it wasn’t like a fire. It just looked like debris smoke, similar to 9/11,” the witness added.

Local media have reported at least 11 people suffered injuries, while a nearby hospital said it had received one patient with heavy trauma.

The local utility has been called to shut off the gas following the explosion, which damaged windows in the area

Metro-North said it happened in a building adjacent to the tracks. Service in and out of Grand Central Terminal is suspended until further notice.

The bomb squad is responding as a precaution.