A construction crane fell from a 46-story skyscraper and onto the building that houses the Tampa Bay Times, bashing a “gaping hole” in the eight-story office tower that newsroom staffers had vacated ahead of Hurricane Milton’s thrashing winds.
The late Wednesday night mishap did not cause any injuries, but the destruction was still blocking an entire street in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, as of Thursday morning. The giant crane came crashing down from a residential tower that was under construction across the street.
No one was hurt inside the building or on the ground, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The building had closed ahead of Milton’s arrival Wednesday, and no one from the newsroom was working inside at the time.
The 250,000-square-foot space is actually three conjoined buildings that were built in 1924, 1968 and 1988. Tampa Bay Times publisher Times Publishing Co. sold the structure in 2016, but the 140-year-old newspaper remains a tenant.
Hurricane Milton, a powerful storm that struck Florida’s Gulf Coast overnight, brought widespread destruction with flooding and multiple tornadoes. While early reports show significant damage, officials continue to assess the full impact as the storm moves inland.
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