New York crane bursts into flames before smashing into skyscraper
Crane engulfed in flames smashes into nearby building
Twitter
A crane in New York caught on fire before it collided with a huge building this morning.
The operator cabin was ravaged by the flames, causing the crane to stop working.
The upper arm of the telescoping section then split halfway, smashing into a skyscraper.
The high-rise was still undergoing construction at the time of the incident.
Debris of fallen crane litters the streets of the city
The horrifying scene was captured by a passer-by, before being shared on social media.
In the footage, the crane appears to be engulfed by flames as grey smoke can be seen rising into the sky.
A witness to the accident, going by the username @jimmy_farring, said the crane smashed into a new-rise under construction.
The high-rise is located on 41st Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan.
The crane collapsed onto a nearby high-rise
Fire engines were called to the scene to tackle the flames.
The New York City Fire Department forced those staying nearby the building to evacuate.
Heidi Elmore, who was staying at a hotel nearby, wrote on Twitter: “Welcome to New York. Crane next to my hotel is on fire and collapsing so we had to evacuate.”
The New York Police Department has advised people to avoid the area while they deal with the incident.
Causes of the failure of the crane point to the burning operator cabin below.
Footage showed firefighters trying to tackle the flames however they struggled to hit the raging fire with water.
One firefighter was injured at the scene, as firefighters hosed down the burning crane.
Debris on the streets from the collapse was attended to by firefighters as they pumped water on it to avoid any additional fires.
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