Mount Vernon building partially collapses, closes South 4th Avenue

Excess rainfall in Westchester Tuesday evening may have caused a building to partially collapse in Mount Vernon Wednesday.

Mount Vernon officials closed South 4th Avenue to pedestrian and vehicle traffic between West 3rd and 4th streets nearby, officials were on the scene Thursday to assess the structural integrity of the National Gear and Piston building and others around it.

Related: Building collapse, sinkhole in Westchester likely due to excessive rain Tuesday

The building, located at 225 So. 4th Ave., partially collapsed just before dawn Wednesday, according to Mount Vernon city spokesperson Tim Allen.

Parts of the roof and wall caved in, causing structural damage to the building. Bricks that fell from the wall of the building also damaged nearby parked vehicles.

Heavy rains Tuesday evening likely contributed to the damage, Allen said, noting that the root cause of the collapse has not yet been determined.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon NY building collapse results in South 4th Avenue closure