Crane Engulfed By Fire Collapses In Sydney

A construction crane has caught fire and collapsed at a building site at a university in Sydney, Australia.

The blaze started in the crane's cab almost 60ft above the city's University of Technology but the driver managed to escape before the arm fell.

The crane swayed dangerously and onlookers gasped as the boom section crashed down, damaging a nearby building.

The fire stopped traffic in surrounding streets and billowing black smoke could be seen across the central business district.

An evacuation of about 200 workers from the site and hundreds of people from nearby university and office buildings was carried out and one of the city's major roads closed.

The exact cause of the blaze has yet to be established but authorities believe that the diesel fuel tank on the crane cab was the main contributor.

Local residents immediately took to social networking sites posting various pictures of the fallen crane.

Australian network ABC reported that the crane belonged to Lend Lease, the same construction company that owned the crane which collapsed in New York City during superstorm Sandy.