WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — No injuries have been reported after part of a parking garage in New York collapsed onto the floor below it on Wednesday morning.
The fifth floor collapsed onto the fourth floor of the parking structure around 9 a.m. ET.
A photo from inside the garage clearly shows concrete smashing several cars.
Officials with the fire department said roughly 15 cars remain in the collapse zone, and that is where they will stay.
The focus now is on the integrity of the parking garage, which is believed to be 12 stories tall.
Inspectors thoroughly examined the garage from top to bottom, including the entrance and exit ramps. After a few measurements, firefighters went to work cutting new columns that will provide temporary support while engineers iron out a more permanent solution.
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"What we are working on now is shoring up the garage to make it safe to remove the vehicles that are in there," White Plains, New York Mayor Tom Roach said.
Many people who work in the neighboring office building park in the garage and use a crosswalk to head into work.
Siobhan Rossi, who works in the area, said she feels very lucky she was not hurt.
"It was very nerve-wracking, you know. I didn't know which way to go, if it was a secure structure to leave. And I have small kids at home, but God forbid, you never know," Rossi said.
Authorities say they are very fortunate there were no injuries.
"We are blessed that it wasn't something more tragic. If it was at 8:30 in the morning, who knows what would have happened when people were coming into to work," White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong said.
There is still no definitive timetable for when people can go inside and retrieve their cars.
