Crane dangling off Burnaby tower causes temporary road closure

A portion of the Lougheed Highway was closed Friday afternoon as a toppled crane dangled over the edge of a high-rise building under construction in Burnaby, B.C.

Aerial footage shot by Global News appears to show the operator’s cab still on the building’s roof, with a portion of the crane’s jib hanging over the side of the tower near Gilmore Avenue and the Lougheed Highway.

1:04 Crane topples over Burnaby tower, causing road closure

By phone, the building’s owner — Onni Group — said there was a malfunction with the subcontractor’s crane, but no details are available. Chief of Staff Duncan Wlodarczak confirmed no one was injured.

Wlodarczak said crews from WorkSafe BC are on-site and the company’s own investigation is ongoing.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

In an emailed statement, WorkSafe BC said it was first informed of an incident involving a crane on Thursday afternoon and stop-use orders were issued for both the tower crane and derrick. An investigation has been opened, it added.

“The purpose of our investigation is to identify the cause of the incident, including any contributing factors, so that similar incidents can be prevented from happening in the future,” wrote Ashley Gregersen of media relations.

2:06 Collapse at Coquitlam construction site leaves gaping hole in shoring wall

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Mounties said eastbound and westbound traffic on Lougheed Highway was closed between Gilmore and Madison avenues for “traffic and public safety.”

As of 2 p.m., it did not know how long the closure would last.