Crane fire, collapse in New York City injures 11, including two firefighters
Eleven people were injured, including two firefighters, when the engine of a crane operating in Midtown Manhattan caught fire and collapsed early Wednesday morning, sending 16 tons of concrete and debris sprawling onto 10th Avenue. The surrounding area in the Hudson Yards neighborhood was closed for several hours as first responders extinguished the blaze, whose preliminary cause is believed to be a hydraulic fluid leak.
Around 7:30 am local time, a fire was reported at the construction site at 550 10th Ave., a planned 54-story mixed-use building. The crane operator managed to reach safety after attempting to put out the engine fire. Not long after, a video appears to show the top segment of the crane breaking and crashing into a neighboring apartment building.
Lomma, the South Kearny, New Jersey parent company responsible for operation, has been involved in at least two other high-profile accidents over the last two decades, including a 2008 incident where two workers were killed.
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