Three New York City Fire Department firefighters battling a blaze in Manhattan were taken to the hospital over the weekend after two large storefront signs collapsed on them.
Horrifying video of the incident shows firefighters standing next to a burnt storefront along St. Nicholas Street in Washington Heights on Saturday afternoon when a metal awning hanging above their heads suddenly came loose.
The burnt signs for Tumbler Snack Shop and Rosie’s Beauty Salon then collapsed on at least five firefighters, shattering the signs themselves and knocking several people to the ground.
Footage shows firefighters rushing to the wreckage and first responders working together to quickly free those trapped inside.
One of the firefighters underneath the snack shop sign was freed within seconds, but it took the combined efforts of at least 12 of New York’s bravest firefighters to lift the hair salon sign off his colleague.
The trapped firefighters were quickly freed, the footage showed, as the sign crumbled to pieces around them.
Three firefighters were rushed to a local hospital after the building collapse and treated for minor injuries, New York City Fire Department officials said.
“It just shows how dangerous this job is,” New York City Deputy Fire Commissioner John Sarrocco told reporters at the scene.
Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
