Crane catches fire and collapses onto busy New York street

Footage shows the crane's arm collapsing. Video credit: TMX via AP

A crane partially collapsed onto a busy New York street after it caught fire high above the west side of Manhattan on Wednesday.

Six people, including two firefighters, have suffered minor injuries, CNN reports.

The fire atop the 54-story building was reported around 7:25am local time (12:25 BST).

“As you can see from the debris on the street, this could have been much worse,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, noting that the street at that hour of the morning is often filled with pedestrians, cars and buses.

Photos and videos posted on social media showed flames bursting from the car of a crane hundreds of feet above 10th Avenue at 41st Street.

The crane's arm, which was carrying a 16-tonne load, snapped off after the fire had been burning for a period of time.

“As the fire heats the cable, the cable weakens to a point where it loses its strength, and that’s where the collapse occurred," said Joseph Pfeifer, first deputy commissioner for the Fire Department of New York.

Footage shows smoke rising from the crane

The person operating the crane tried to put out the fire as it spread, but then had to flee to safety, according to Fire Department First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer.

Firefighters stationed on a roof deck of another building used hoses to battle the blaze. Surrounding streets were closed to traffic.

Delicia McInnis, a Long Island resident who saw the crane come down, said she was surprised no one was seriously injured.

“There’s so many things going on at 7 o'clock in the city, people are going to school, summer camp, there’s always someone around in this area,” she said.

The fire's cause was being investigated.

The location is near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and an entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, which carries traffic to and from New Jersey under the Hudson River.

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