Firefighters in North Carolina rescued at least 15 people including a crane operator Thursday after a five-alarm fire involving injuries broke out at a construction site near downtown Charlotte.
Crews with the Charlotte Fire Department responded to a structure fire call sometime before 10 a.m. ET in the city’s SouthPark neighborhood. About 10:30 a.m., the department tweeted it was on scene of a four-alarm fire on Liberty Row Drive and was asking people to avoid the area. The fire was later upgraded to five alarms as it required more assistance from outside agencies due to its size.
The crane operator, among the 15 people rescued by firefighters, was treated by local EMS for non life-threatening injuries and taken to a hospital, fire officials reported.
As of mid Thursday afternoon, the department said, two construction workers were unaccounted for.
As of about 3:45 p.m. ET, crews remained on scene and it was not immediately known if anyone else was injured.
Photos tweeted by the department show flames and heavy black smoke shooting out of what appears to be a residential building under construction as crews attempt to battle the blaze.
The area is about six miles south of downtown Charlotte.
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The blaze also involved a building in a construction zone which partially collapsed, the Charlotte Observer reported.
For more than an hour, firefighters were attempting to help the crane operator trapped on a construction crane surrounded by the blazing structure, the outlet reported, citing emergency radio. The man was reported safe shortly before 11 a.m.
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Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.