NEW YORK (Reuters) -The top portion of a construction crane caught fire and collapsed on the west side of Manhattan on Wednesday, injuring several people as debris rained down on the street during the morning rush hour, authorities said.

Firefighters and rescue personnel responded to the scene, blocking traffic in the surrounding streets and through the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey.

The crane buckled at about 7:30 a.m. in the area of 10th and 11th avenues and West 41 and 42 streets, near the Hudson Yards complex, the New York City Police Department said on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. The NYPD urged people to avoid the area.

Video footage of the scene posted on social media showed the top part of the crane snapping and falling to the ground, grazing a nearby building on its way down. At the same time, fire and smoke can be seen rising from the crane's cabin.

Multiple civilians and firefighters suffered minor injuries when the crane boom, a 16-ton load of concrete being lifted and debris from the nearby building fell into the street.

Pedestrians on the sidewalk below were seen running away as fire trucks and emergency vehicles arrived in response to a five-alarm fire, apparently in the cab of the crane.

"Expect smoke, traffic delays, and a presence of emergency personnel and vehicles in the area," the city said in an alert sent to New Yorkers.

(Reporting by Frank McGurty in New York and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago)