A huge crane toppled Wednesday at the Washington National Cathedral amid heavy thunderstorms, damaging two buildings and several cars.
No serious injuries were reported and officials are still investigating what caused the crane to tip over.
D.C. fire department spokesman, Oscar Mendez, said the crane flipped backward about 11a.m. on Wednesday.
The spokesman also said the crane damaged three to five cars and cathedral buildings.
Cathedral’s spokesman, Richard Weinberg said that the crane damaged Herb Cottage, which houses the cathedral’s gift shop, and Church House, which houses members of the diocese.
Richard Weinberg added that all 20 people inside the buildings when the crane collapsed were not hurt, and the cathedral itself was not damaged.
Washington National Cathedral is set to host memorial events for 9/11 starting Friday and continuing this weekend.
Until now, no decision had been made as to whether the events would go on as planned, according to cathedral’s spokesman.
Weinberg said the crane was at the cathedral to work on repairs needed because of damage caused by the East Coast earthquake on August 23, when the cathedral’s limestone exterior towers and some interior areas have been damaged.
Firefighters’ representative said the incident could have been a lot worse.
“If it had gone any other direction it would have hit another building, which would have been bad,” fire Battalion Chief John Donnelly said.
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