A construction crane fell into the Tampa Bay Times office building during Hurricane Milton’s high winds and left a large hole in the side of the structure.
The crane was being used to construct a luxury 46-storey building – St Petersburg’s tallest skyscraper – and could not handle the fury of hurricane winds when it collapsed late Wednesday night.
A large portion of the crane crashed into the side of an adjacent office building, which houses several businesses. Including the Tampa Bay Times.
Photos after the incident show metal and debris strewn across the street in downtown St. Petersburg.
Witnesses near the wreckage told the Tampa Bay Times that they saw palm trees entangled with damaged metal, smoke billowing from the damaged building and the smell of gasoline in the air.
The newspaper reported that no one was working inside its newsroom when the crane hit the building.
St. Petersburg city officials also confirmed No one was injured when the crane fell due to Hurricane Milton’s winds.
Michael Kotler, a resident on the 12th floor of a nearby residential building, told the outlet that he heard a ground-shaking rumble from the storm around 10 p.m.
Follow the post for live updates as Hurricane Milton approaches
Cotler said he then looked out his window and saw part of the crane smashed into the side of the building.
The developer of the 515-foot residential building, New York billionaire John Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Group, confirmed that “a crane cab at the top of the mast” had fallen off during the storm.
The building, “400 Central,” is expected to be completed in the spring and open to residents in the summer. According to WTSP,
Condo prices range from $1.1 to $8 million.
Don Tyer, St. Petersburg’s city building official, said the three cranes used to erect the massive skyscraper at the construction site were rated to withstand winds of up to 110 mph.
Follow the latest from The Post on Hurricane Milton:
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton hit near Siesta Key in Sarasota County around 8:30 p.m. as a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 120 mph.
At the time the crane fell, wind speeds in St. Petersburg ranged from 105 to 110 mph.
Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, less than a mile from the Tampa Bay Times building, suffered significant damage to its roof.
Shockingly, tower cranes were a point of concern for city officials earlier this week as they prepared for the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch had expressed concern about the many cranes standing at construction sites around the city before the storm. fox 13,
Welch and other city officials were concerned that the cranes might collapse during the storm and due to short notice they were unable to take action to dismantle them.
He advised nearby residents to evacuate the area to avoid disaster.
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