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By Jeffrey Collins

The Associated Press

The mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, warned residents that cranes at several construction sites across the city might fall as聽Hurricane Milton聽passed through, and at the storm鈥檚 peak on Wednesday night, one came crashing down.

No one was injured when the crane 鈥� set up for construction of a 46-story condominium and office building poised to become the tallest residential tower on Florida鈥檚 Gulf Coast 鈥� crashed into a nearby building where the Tampa Bay Times is located.

But the crane gouged a hole where part of the twisted metal came to rest in the brick and concrete on one corner of the building. Wires dangled and bits of office items were strewn about. Another part of the crane blocked the street below. Nearby, Milton鈥檚 winds聽tore panels off the roof聽of Tropicana Field, where the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team plays.

No one was working in the newspaper office at the time of the collapse. City officials cordoned off several blocks until they could completely聽assess the damage聽and begin working to remove the twisted crane.

A representative of developer Red Apple Group told the newspaper that at least one crane cab in the mast鈥檚 upper section fell and that it was working with the city to assess the situation. The company didn鈥檛 respond to an email from The Associated Press on Thursday.

The design for the 400 Central skyscraper calls for it to top out at 515 feet. It will have 301 condos priced at $1 million and up, along with retail space and office space, the聽Tampa Bay Times reported.

Crews are expected to need at least one more crane to dismantle the twisted mess, just like they usually need another crane to start building a crane.

Most structures that build skyscrapers are called tower cranes, and they can become taller as the building goes up.

The key part of crane safety is carefully balancing all competing聽weights and forces.

鈥淲hen that cab operator shuts the crane off, he immediately releases the brakes and puts it into 鈥榳eather vane鈥� mode so it can move with the wind,鈥� said Tom Barth of Barth Crane Inspections in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

If a crane stayed in one spot, the wind would provide more resistance like a hand stuck in a river. But if the boom can turn, the wind can blow alongside it and reduce that resistance, Barth said.

鈥淓ven on a seemingly calm day, you鈥檙e going to see that boom move a little,鈥� said Barth, who has operated and inspected cranes for about four decades.

Experts said most cranes are designed to move in winds of at least 100 mph, and those in places like Florida, where hurricanes are a greater hazard, often have a greater wind resistance.

But a crane can handle only so much force. That鈥檚 why St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth Welch warned anyone living near construction sites with a crane to leave, and police made sure at-risk areas were cleared.

Because cranes must be both raised and lowered carefully, their removal can take days or longer, Barth said. That much time usually isn鈥檛 available once forecasters lock in on a storm鈥檚 potential path.