A Burning Manhattan Crane Collapsed, Sending Debris Into The Streets

A crane caught on fire in Manhattan this morning and partially collapsed, sending debris into the streets. ABC7 reports that at least six people were injured, including two firefighters. But so far, there haven’t been any reports that someone has died, which, given what happened and how crowded New York City is, is a bit of a surprise. To be clear, though, we mean that in a good way. No one deserves to be killed by falling debris.

The fire reportedly started at about 7:30 a.m. this morning in the engine compartment of a crane being used to build a 45-story highrise at 10th Avenue and West 41st Street. The crane was reportedly carrying 16 tons of concrete when the fire broke out, weakening the cable supporting the load until it snapped. As the concrete dropped to the street, it sent the boom swinging into a nearby building before it, too, fell to the ground hundreds of feet below.

According to city officials, the operator was in the crane when the fire started and tried to put it out but was ultimately forced to evacuate for his own safety. Emergency crews responded quickly, with firefighters heading to the top of a nearby building to spray water onto the burning crane and police closing 10th Avenue. They also evacuated nearby buildings to minimize the chance that anyone else would be injured.

One resident who lives next to the building where the crane collapsed told ABC7 that he initially thought it was an earthquake, saying, “Wait a minute, we live in NYC and a earthquake does not happen in the New York area, so and then I was like what is going on. Something bad is going on and there was a huge sound as well. So I lift my shade and I see this humongous flames from the crane and the humongous black smoke in front of me.”

It’s almost always a bad idea to drive in Manhattan on a normal day, but something tells us that until the debris is cleared and 10th Avenue opens back up, traffic is going to be especially bad. But at least no one died. How that happened, we still have no idea, but this could have easily been so, so much worse.

Extended coverage: Crane arm catches fire, collapses in Manhattan