New York City officials were conducting safety inspections of construction sites across the city this week after a building in Midtown Manhattan became dangerously unstable last week, forcing construction to be halted at the project.

The inspections are ongoing and were initiated by the buckling of two columns last week at a building on East 42nd Street, said Andrew Rudansky, a spokesman for the Department of Buildings. He did not immediately respond to a request to provide additional information about the scope of the investigations.

A person familiar with the investigation said the inspections had begun on Monday, and were focused on sites where firms working on the 42nd Street site were also operating. The person asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.

The sweeps come one week after the Midtown East building, offices being converted into apartments, became dangerously destabilized and thousands of nearby building occupants were temporarily evacuated. No one was injured.

On Friday, New York City investigators opened a preliminary criminal inquiry into the incident. The probe is in its earliest stages and the scope and target of that investigation are not clear.

It is also unclear which firms the officials are investigating, but the conversion project, the largest of its kind in the country, involved dozens of companies representing developers, engineers and contractors. MetroLoft, the main developer, declined to comment.

The incident in Midtown last week inflamed debate about how to solve New York’s housing crisis and the role of conversions, which can be notoriously tricky and expensive.

Work to stabilize the building, which is 37 stories, is ongoing, with workers adding equipment along nearly every floor to shore up the building. It’s unclear when construction will resume on the project, which is slated to be finished in 2027.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.