The fire and partial collapse of a construction crane in Manhattan on Wednesday rained down tons of concrete and rubble into the streets, prompting officials to issue a caution for residents and visitors to avoid the area.
According to authorities, at least six individuals were hurt, including two firemen who responded to the site.
Reports show that New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed relief that the injuries sustained were not significant. The street debris shows that it could have turned out much worse than it did.
First Deputy Fire Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer of the FDNY has reported that a fireman is being taken to the hospital for treatment. He also said the FDNY was alerted to a fire in the crane’s engine room at roughly 7:25 a.m., located around 45 stories high. As fire units arrived on the scene, the building collapsed. A 16-ton load of concrete and the crane’s boom fell to the ground.
A Twitter video shows a crane arm coming loose, striking an adjacent structure, and causing debris to fall. People are seen racing to avoid the scene as the arm falls to the pavement, and a loud boom can be heard.
There seems to be no obvious cause for the fire. Authorities said all necessary permits were in place for the 54-story mixed-use skyscraper under construction at the disaster’s scene.
According to local reports, the city announced plans to send in an even larger crane to take away the damaged crane. The debris that had fallen into the roadway has been quickly cleared by the workers. By Thursday, the 180-foot-long boom had been dismantled and taken away.
According to a report, New York Crane and Equipment Corp was also implicated in two fatal incidents in Manhattan in 2003. In 2008, after an incident that killed a worker, crane operator Chris Van Duyne’s license was suspended for eight months, and he was fined $1,000.
