Updated stories: Six people have suffered minor injuries, including four civilians and two firefighters.
Most of the fire had been extinguished around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, but officials said they were still operating at a five-alarm capacity to put out the blaze. Part of the difficulty came from the fire coming from so high up the building — requiring more hands on deck. Surrounding buildings were also searched and evacuated by emergency teams.
“I’d like you to picture what was taking place,” Pfeifer said. “The crane operates above the roof line, and on that above roofline there’s a beam that goes on, and that’s carrying the weight of concrete. And that weight of 16 tons is attached by a cable,” he said. “As a fire heats the cable, the cable weakens to the point that it loses its strength,” he said, leading to the crane’s collapse.
Officials said the fire came from the engine of the cabin as an operator was lifting the concrete. The operator, who safely escaped from the cabin, attempted to extinguish the flames, but became “overwhelmed” as it spread, Pfeifer said. Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said the agency would be assessing the structural integrity of the building, as well as the histories of all contractors involved in the construction.The contractor had one other unrelated incident onsite after hitting a Con Edison vault during an excavation, Oddo said.Related stories
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fiery crane collapse in Manhattan leaves at least 5 injured, officials sayThree people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries after the top of the crane and a 16-ton load toppled over, according to the FDNY.
Read more »
5 injured when NYC crane collapses into building after catching fire near Manhattan’s Hudson YardsFive people were injured, including a firefighter, when a crane collapsed into a neighboring building after catching fire in New York City on Wednesday morning, authorities said. The construction e…
Read more »
New York crane catches fire, partially collapses on Manhattan high riseThe crane is located on a building under construction in Manhattan.
Read more »
New York crane catches fire, partially collapses on Manhattan high riseThe crane is located on a building under construction in Manhattan.
Read more »