At least 12 people were hurt when a construction crane caught fire and collapsed in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan.
Authorities say the top portion of a construction crane caught fire and crashed into a Manhattan street during the Wednesday morning rush hour.
The collapse occurred about 45 stories up, according to Joseph Pfeifer, deputy commissioner of the FDNY. The crane operator unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the fire, "but the fire overwhelmed that operator," Pfeifer said, adding that "the crane operator was able to get out and is safe.
Two of the people injured were firefighters, and three people were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were minor, Mayor Eric Adams told reporters.
A resident who lives in the building, Eldrege Smith, told NBC New York that he “I felt the building really tremor” at the time of the crash. Smith described his residence as being "mangled like Godzilla took it and crushed it in his hands.”
Another local resident, TT Maitisa, said they "thought it was another terrorist attack or something because it was a loud bang."