Brooklyn school gym deemed unsafe after Friday’s magnitude 4.8 earthquake: DOB

The gym of a Brooklyn school has been deemed unsafe following Friday’s earthquake, officials said.

According to the city’s Department of Buildings, on Friday, they conducted a structural stability inspection at 370 Fountain Avenue after receiving reports of cracks in the interior.

Inspectors found step cracking and vertical cracks in the interior masonry walls of the school’s gymnasium and because of this it was determined that the bricks near the cracks could pose a safety issue, the DOB said. Because of these safety concerns, it was determined that the gymnasium will be vacated until the repairs are finished.

Inspectors did not find other areas of concern at other points in the school — eventually determining that the rest of the school can still be occupied.

Friday’s magnitud 4.8 earthquake rattled the tri-state area, an area where seismic activity is not common. The DOB said that following the quake, the department received about 80 reports of earthquake-related damage, most of those coming from Manhattan and the Bronx. Inspectors went to all the locations to investigate and found no major damage or collapses. They did find cracks in walls at few locations.

Additionally, out of caution, the DOB added extra engineering and inspection staff over this weekend to respond to any new reports of building damage.

According to DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo, possible damage could be discovered in the days or weeks ahead so it is important to remain vigilant and report any damage.

“To New Yorkers, we at the Department of Buildings are concerned about some of the downstream possibilities — cracks that you might see that may materialize or manifest in a week or a month, scaffolding retaining walls,” Oddo said. “If you see something that is problematic, please call 311.”