A gas explosion in a public housing project in the Bronx caused the chimney of the 20-story building to collapse on Oct. 1, sending a shower of bricks and debris tumbling to the sidewalks as residents dashed for the exits. Nobody was injured, and two weeks later, with a temporary boiler in place, tenants are returning to their homes.
Federal law requires all government-subsidized properties, including Mitchel Houses in the Bronx, to undergo inspections on an ongoing basis. But it’s not clear when this property was last visited by a federal inspector: On the same day as the near-disaster in the Bronx, the federal government shut down, sending federal housing inspectors and their data on furlough.