Smoke could be seen rising from an under-construction residential skyscraper near the site of the One World Trade Center, the New York Post reported.
The source of the plumes of smoke Wednesday morning was a fire on the roof of the 72-story building, according to the outlet.
The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) was dispatched to the scene and observed that no one had been hurt, the New York Post reported. The fire reportedly originated in the building’s HVAC system, officials said. FDNY is still investigating the exact cause of the fire, according to the outlet.
Thick smoke, flames burst out of skyscraper near World Trade Center after rooftop fire https://t.co/KXXjR4gXKF pic.twitter.com/MBOdhUpAh1
— New York Post (@nypost) March 20, 2024
Jerson Valencia, a construction worker told the New York Post smoke was coming out of the air conditioning duct. “There were welders there,” he reportedly added.
🚨#BREAKING: Heavy Smoke and Flames Spotted Near World Trade Center Following High-Rise Rooftop Fire
⁰📌#Manhattan | #NewYorkCurrently, numerous firefighters are on the scene in the downtown Manhattan Financial District near the World Trade Center, working to extinguish a… pic.twitter.com/kW5Vj4OFF3
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 20, 2024
Construction on the residential skyscraper was approaching its end at the time of the fire after being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, ABC 7 reported. “Rising high above the city, The Greenwich offers an elevated perspective on Downtown living, with homes that embrace light and air from every floor and provide a range of astonishing vantage points from which to marvel at the city and its many icons,” the website for the residential complex read.
The One World Trade Center is a skyscraper standing at the site of the former World Trade Center complex destroyed in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. The skyscraper stands at 1776 feet tall — the number a reference to the year of American independence from Great Britain — and is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, according to the World Trade Center website.