Social media video shows the dramatic scene when the crane arm came down, crashing into a building across the street.
First Deputy Commissioner Joseph W. Pfeifer said the crane was lifting 16 tons of concrete when the fire started."There's a beam that goes out, and that's carrying the weight of concrete. And that weight of 16 tons is attached by a cable. As the fire heats the cable, the cable weakens to a point where it loses its strength, and that's when the collapse occurred," he explained. Pfeifer credited the crane operator for spotting the fire and trying to put it out.
"That crane operator saw that the fire started and tried to extinguish it. So we give a lot of credit to the crane operator. But the fire overwhelmed that operator and had to exit the crane," he said."The crane operator was able to get out and is safe." FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan. Please 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.
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