Civilians, Firefighters Injured in Manhattan Building Collapse

July 14, 2005
A former upper Manhattan supermarket building in the midst of demolition partially collapsed Thursday morning, injuring five civilians and four firefighters, according to the New York City Fire Department.

Among the injured is a 7-year-old girl, WNBC in New York City is reporting on its Web site. None of the injuries are life-threatening, according to WNBC.

The building, which houses the former Gristedes supermarket, was being razed to make room for a high-rise apartment building when what was left of the building collapsed.

New York City Fireman Adrian Deronja said the five civilians might have been passers-by. "The area was cordoned off," Deronja said. "Possibly [workers] might have knocked down some of the retaining devices built while they were demolishing it."

WNBC is reporting that all 25 construction workers at the site have been accounted for.

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