2 Hurt as NYC Construction Crane Catches Fire, Collapses

A tall construction crane caught fire in Manhattan on Wednesday morning, injuring at least two people and snarling traffic during the morning rush hour after hitting a building as it crashed to the street below.

Photos and videos posted on social media show flames bursting from the car of a crane hundreds of feet above 10th Avenue at 41st Street near the Hudson Yards complex. The crane’s arm scraped the top floors of a skyscraper across the street as it fell.

Firefighters and rescue personnel responded to the scene, blocking traffic in the surrounding streets and through the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey during rush hour.

The crane collapsed at about 7:30 a.m. in the area of 10th and 11th avenues and West 41 and 42 street, near the Hudson Yards complex, the New York City Police Department said on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. The NYPD urged people to avoid the area.

One firefighter and one civilian suffered minor injuries, WCBS 880 radio reported.

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

The location on Manhattan’s West Side is near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and an entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, which carries auto traffic to and from New Jersey under the Hudson River.