A five-block stretch of First Avenue remains closed this morning after bricks fell from a 34-story apartment building's facade onto the sidewalk. One person said it sounded like a "hail storm."

The building, on East 64th Street and First Avenue, has been undergoing repointing, and bricks fell away from the facade around 10:30 p.m. Some of the bricks fell onto a setback. Others fell into the street.



(David Torres)

One man told NBC New York, "All of sudden it sounded like there was an incredible hailstorm. I saw huge chunks of what I thought was hail, but then that didn't make sense. And huge noises."

@jwbourne mystery solved - bricks collapsed off a building about 35 stories up. pic.twitter.com/G0orzI290T — J. Bourne (@jwbourne) December 8, 2015 Witness says explosion occurred around 8pm, FDNY already on scene at 63rd and 1st. Bricks and debris in the street pic.twitter.com/pA9rBbYtnn — Kavitha A. Davidson (@kavithadavidson) December 8, 2015

Another woman said, "The first brick hit the ground, all of a sudden there was some dust and smoke. It sounded like fireworks or gunshots, and the next thing I know, I saw four people running in all different directions."

One cab's windows were smashed out. Today, streets remained closed.