NYC firefighters rush to window washers in distress

The New York Fire Department is working to rescue two window washer in distress 45 stories up on a Midtown Manhattan high rise, CBS New York station WCBS-TV reports.


The window washers appear to be trapped at the top of the Hearst Building on 57th Street and 8th Avenue after scaffolding collapsed Wednesday afternoon.

Video shows a long, metallic scaffold buckled in the middle, creating a v-shape. The window washers appear to be on either side of the site of the buckling.

Firefighters say they may undertake a "high angle rescue." The street beneath has been closed.

The Hearst Building is famous for its unusual triangular framing pattern.