A luffing jib tower crane caught fire and dropped its jib along with a 15 tonne load in Manhattan, New York today.
The crane, a Favelle Favco from the Loma New York Crane fleet, was lifting a 15 tonne load of concrete when the fire started in the engine/machine deck , the operator tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but to no avail. An initial investigation has put the fire down to leak in the hydraulic circuit near the engine.
The operator, Chris Van Duyne, 62, climbed down the tower - which according to local reports is in the region of 130 metres and warned others on the way. As the fire took hold it moved to the jib luffing ropes, the local fire crews fought to extinguish the fire before it caused a structural failure but as the ropes burnt the jib dropped striking a building opposite and then falling into the street below. Two firemen were hurt in the incident where up to nine others were hit by flying debris as the jib fell. But it could have been so much worse.
The moment the jib came down
The crane is located in 10th Avenue between West 41st and 42nd streets near the Port Authority bus terminal. The building it is working in is a 46 storey high rise tower.
History repeats iteself
This incident is very similar to the one that occured in Australia, at the University of Technology Sydney in November 2012 Tower crane fire and jib collapse in Sydney
A full and detailed report was published in 2015 which made some comments that might have helped prevent this incident, such as the use of fireproof hoses and the siting of larger more appropriate extinguishers near the engine. You can download the report from the Accident Reports section of our library
The local news report below provides comprehensive coverage while the one below that caught the scene as the jib came crashing down.
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Preliminary investigation suggests the fire was likely caused by a hydraulic fluid leak, according to officials briefed on the situation. The probe is ongoing.
UPDATE
Within a week the first law suit was filed, by Marcy Olin, 59, and her husband, Michael Tierney, who are suing several construction companies, crane companies and the operator of the crane, Christopher Van Duyne, over the incident.
According to the lawsuit, Olin observed, heard and felt debris from the falling crane jib strike her car as she drove by below
It says that she "reasonably and justifiably feared that the collapsing crane and/or debris from it would cause her bodily harm or kill her."
Red
Given the recent incidents of tower cranes catching fire, with catastrophic results, one would think fire suppression systems would be highly recommended, if not mandatory.
If I had a fleet of tower cranes, I would be installing them post haste.
Construction_Influencer
It's nothing about "American Tower Cranes". It's just how the Favelle Favco crane are doing there concept. Others like Liebherr, Potain or WOLFF don't use this kind of system.
It's incredible sad that these engine systems are still allowed as many still burn down. We can be very glad that there were no fatal injuries.
Graeme Davison
Never understand why American tower cranes seem to be powered by diesel engines, just the sheer hassle of fueling them at such a height must be a logistical nightmare, add to that the increased risk of combustion due to fuel leaks or hydraulic oil leaks on hot engine / exhaust surfaces... But I guess this could have been a whole lot worse! Someone's going to have fun recovering that crane now without the ability to climb it down the tower!
John23
OMG
Red
Given the recent incidents of tower cranes catching fire, with catastrophic results, one would think fire suppression systems would be highly recommended, if not mandatory.
If I had a fleet of tower cranes, I would be installing them post haste.
Construction_Influencer
It's nothing about "American Tower Cranes". It's just how the Favelle Favco crane are doing there concept. Others like Liebherr, Potain or WOLFF don't use this kind of system.
It's incredible sad that these engine systems are still allowed as many still burn down. We can be very glad that there were no fatal injuries.
Graeme Davison
Never understand why American tower cranes seem to be powered by diesel engines, just the sheer hassle of fueling them at such a height must be a logistical nightmare, add to that the increased risk of combustion due to fuel leaks or hydraulic oil leaks on hot engine / exhaust surfaces... But I guess this could have been a whole lot worse! Someone's going to have fun recovering that crane now without the ability to climb it down the tower!