Heroic rescues after catastrophic Brooklyn building collapse that killed 8

Heroic rescues after catastrophic Brooklyn building collapse that killed 8 N.J. Burkett has more on the heroic rescue efforts carried out by first responders following the deadly building collapse on Wednesday. WABC By N.J. Burkett Friday, November 13, 2026 1:08AM Share Follow abc7NY on Google FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Amid the tragic, and deadly building collapse that claimed the lives of eight people, and injured more than a dozen others Wednesday night, were the heroic rescue efforts by brave first responders that also saved lives. The torrential rain turned the debris field into a slippery, shifting mound of wood and glass, cement and mud. For more than 24 hours, there was a desperate but deliberate search for signs of life. "Until you get to the last piece of debris out of there, or you know that everybody is 100% accounted for, you're not going to stop," said Jersey City Fire Chief Steve McGill. The survivors were all rescued within the first two hours, including a woman who is six months pregnant . She was saved by an elite team of firefighters who risked their own lives to tunnel into the wreckage and get them out. "The deeper you dig, the more dangerous it's going to get, because unless you're taking that debris off the top, you're going under layers and layers and layers of debris," McGill said. McGill said it's like a house of cards. "If you pull the wrong piece out, you can cause a secondary collapse and you could hurt the people that are there. So, the first people that got on the scene, that's probably the most dangerous part, because they're going in and not knowing the whole area and the structural integrity of everything else around them," he said. But they could not save everyone. Four others who were located overnight had died amid the ruins. "If people are going to survive, it';s only going to be for a short time," said former FDNY Commissioner Tom Von Essen. Von Essen led the FDNY through 9/11. Holding out hope, he says, goes with the job, sometimes against the odds. "We kept going for a couple of weeks trying to, you know, keep hope out there for people. But, it was true. We didn't find anybody," he said. McGill added, "You hope for the best. You'll always hope for the best. And you just go in there and you try and rescue as many people as you possibly can without hurting yourself." If there are additional victims, Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters that the FDNY will find them. "We are lucky in New York City to have the greatest fire department the world has ever seen. And so as long as the fire department determined something is a rescue operation, I have full belief that they are exploring every possible outcome of that," he said. Brooklyn building collapse: How the deadly Flatbush collapse unfolded AccuWeather Alert: Raw and windy Friday with snow north and west 2 hours ago Javits Frimpong: 17-year-old charged with murder in Bronx shooting death of 15-year-old ---------- * More Brooklyn news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Download our connected TV app Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Report a correction or typo Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved. Related Topics NEW YORK CITY BROOKLYN FLATBUSH BUILDING COLLAPSE RESCUE Watch Live ON NOW Brooklyn building collapse: How the deadly Flatbush collapse unfolded AccuWeather Alert: Raw and windy Friday with snow north and west 2 hours ago Javits Frimpong: 17-year-old charged with murder in Bronx shooting death of 15-year-old Worker killed, another missing after bridge scaffolding collapse on Loop Parkway Bridge Central Park rape suspect arrested while working in Miami, linked to 2 others