A construction crane on top of a high-rise building caught fire in New York City on Wednesday before partially collapsing.
Video of the moment was posted on Twitter.
Authorities said a civilian and a firefighter suffered minor injuries during the incident, according to ABC7.
“FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan,” the New York City Fire Department posted on Twitter.
The New York City mayor’s office urged locals to avoid the area of 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from West 41 Street to West 42 Street.
“Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area,” the office tweeted.
New geological research recently raised concerns about the impact of New York City’s skyscrapers on the city’s position, causing it to sink into the surrounding bodies of water.
The weight of the city’s vast number of buildings, which exceeds 1 million and collectively weighs approximately 1.7 trillion pounds, has led to a gradual descent. The city is sinking at a rate of 1 to 2 millimeters per year, with certain areas experiencing even faster subsidence.
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“New York faces significant challenges from flood hazard; the threat of sea level rise is 3 to 4 times higher than the global average along the Atlantic coast of North America … A deeply concentrated population of 8.4 million people faces varying degrees of hazard from inundation in New York City,” lead researcher and geologist Tom Parsons of the United States Geological Survey wrote.
“Two recent hurricanes caused casualties and heavy damage in New York City,” the report added. “In 2012, Hurricane Sandy forced sea water into the city, whereas heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ida in 2021 overwhelmed drainage systems because of heavy runoff within the mostly paved city.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
