3 Feared Trapped in Collapse of Buildings

Nearly 200 fire and rescue workers combed through debris looking for three people believed to be trapped inside two small collapsed buildings in New York City. A building fell at 7:50 p.m. Tuesday and took much of an adjacent structure with it. Both buildings are small one- or two-unit dwellings. The buildings, on a quiet residential street, collapsed into a pile of brick and wood about 1 1/2 stories high. Dogs being used at the scene “had a positive reaction for the possibility of people being inside,” Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said. Giuliani added that a gas explosion might have caused it. Two firefighters were treated at the scene for minor injuries.