Fire triggers Hudson Yards crane collapse onto rush hour NYC street, injuring four after construction equipment struck skyscraper and sprayed debris onto victims
A construction crane caught fire, collapsed, and struck the side of another skyscraper before falling onto a rush-hour Manhattan street as terrified commuters ran for their lives.
Five people who were on the street, including a firefighter, were injured after the building equipment suffered dramatic failure on 41st Street and 10th Avenue in Hudson Yards.
The crane was attached to a luxury apartment building under construction, as well as a concrete pump that smashed on to the street below.
Terrifying video footage shot Wednesday morning on the corner of 43rd Street and 10th Avenue showed the crane collapse and strike a glass residential skyscraper opposite – while people staying in nearby hotels were quickly evacuated.
People covered in blood were stretchered into ambulances as screams rung out from construction workers and commuters on ground level, eyewitnesses said.
A number of firefighters rushed up to a nearby balcony and desperately battled the inferno – which blazed 500 feet above the Manhattan skyline this morning.
A burning Manhattan construction crane is pictured collapsing and striking the side of a residential skyscraper on 10th Avenue, sending glass and debris spraying onto the sidewalk below
Firefighters are seen spraying water on the crane in a bid to stop the fire
People were seen fleeing the scene as the fiery crane burned in the sky above them. The blazing crane was attached to a tower under construction
The FDNY posted an image of their firefighters tackling the blaze this morning
The dramatic fire this morning caused debris to spew all across the Manhattan street
That collision appeared to shatter windows in the building, with debris then falling onto 10th Avenue, as terrified commuters screamed and ran from the collapse.
It is unclear what caused the blaze in the cabin area of the crane.
The dramatic incident sent debris spraying onto the streets – injuring multiple people below – while storefronts had their glass shattered.
Residents living with a view of the scene told DailyMail.com they heard screams from the construction workers at around 7.15am.
The crane controller was still inside the structure when the fire broke out and he escaped via the wooden plank below about 5 minutes later, they said.
The fire then took hold and the top half of the crane collapsed at around 7:30am.
It broke off and smashed into 555 Ten, an apartment building across the street, then hit the ground.
The resident told DailyMail.com: ‘We saw stretchers and ambulances so there are injuries on the ground. The stores under have also had all their windows broken.
‘We’ve now been evacuated from our building.’
It is unclear what caused the blaze in the cabin area of the crane
The debris is seen spewing on to the streets of Hudson Yards on Wednesday morning
Firefighters from the FDNY stand on a nearby balcony to spray the crane
The crane was seen ablaze from other parts of Manhattan
That collision appeared to shatter windows in the building, with debris then falling onto 10th Avenue, as terrified commuters screamed and ran from the collapse
An FDNY truck is seen on the streets of Hudson Yards as emergency services rushed to put the blaze out
A construction crane is pictured ablaze in Manhattan on Wednesday morning
The Fire Department New York confirmed in a statement: ‘FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan.’
Eric Adams was at the scene of the destruction this morning.
NYC Mayor’s Office said in a statement this morning: ‘FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan.
‘Please avoid the area of 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from West 41 Street to West 42 Street. Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area.’
Residents and workers in the area were seen running for their lives as the fiery crane blazed in the sky above them.
People staying in hotels nearby also said they were evacuated because of the inferno.
Heidi Elmore wrote on Twitter: ‘Welcome to New York. Crane next to my hotel is on fire and collapsing so we had to evacuate.’
Another close-up image shows the crane ablaze and billowing black smoke into the clear morning sky. A spray of water being hosed onto the flames is visible on the left
Eric Adams was at the scene of the destruction this morning
A photo shot from uptown shows the crane ablaze with the skyscrapers of Hudson Yards behind it
Firefighters were seen at the scene – as tourists were rushed out of their hotels
Videos shared by the FDNY showed firefighters on the balcony of a nearby building spraying the burning crane in a bid to put out the flames.
It’s understood that the I beam securing the crane structure was compromised and went up in flames. People were struck by the debris.
The situation, which started just after 7am this morning, is now a multiple-arm fire – indicating that the blaze is severe and is difficult to contain.
550 10th Avenue – the building that the crane was attached to – is a luxury rental tower consisting of 453 homes.
The 47-story tower is under construction, but will have over 20,000 sf of indoor and outdoor amenity space, as well as neighborhood retail on the ground floor.
The building is being designed by Handel architects.
And 555 10th Avenue, directly across the street, is the building that the crane crashed into.
It is a 56-story luxury apartment block with a pool on the rooftop – and has one of the city’s most exclusive observation deck experience at 650 feet over the new Midtown West.
No one was injured at 555 10th Avenue this morning, it was confirmed.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12339843/Hudson-Yards-construction-crane-catches-fire-COLLAPSES-NYC.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Fire triggers Hudson Yards crane collapse onto rush hour NYC street, injuring four after construction equipment struck skyscraper and sprayed debris onto victims
