(NewsNation) —A St. Petersburg, Florida, resident said he was “terrified” the moment he heard a massive crane crash into a nearby building, fearing another would come down on him as fierce winds from Hurricane Milton pummeled the area Wednesday.
The crane rammed into the side of a large office building Wednesday night, causing severe damage and partial collapse.
Resident John Silling lives across from the building that was hit and told NewsNation he ran for cover after the crash.
“We heard a massive explosion. We heard glass shatter. We were pretty, pretty terrified,” he said.
“I ran into the stairwell of the building next to it in hopes that the other crane wouldn’t come down,” he said. “We kept looking out the window to see if the other one was coming.”
Silling said he had gone through Hurricane Ian in 2022, but “it was nothing compared to this.”
The crane came down on a building previously occupied by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. Police said no one was inside the building during the crash and caution tape was put up around the damaged area.
Crane inspectors had begun assessing the massive damage Thursday morning.
Hurricane Milton plowed into Florida as a Category 3 storm pounding cities with winds of over 100 mph after producing a barrage of tornadoes Wednesday.
St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding.