Local

Crane snaps removing Macy's Great Tree

ATLANTA — A crane taking down the Macy's Great Tree atop Lenox Square snapped in the process Wednesday morning.

Channel 2's Carol Sbarge went to the Buckhead mall, where the Christmas tree was partially hanging off the edge of the Macy's roof around 9 a.m. 

Lenox Square security blocked off the north parking lot of the mall, and asked news media to leave the property so crews could bring in a second crane.

Macy's issued the following statement to WSB-TV Wednesday morning:

"While removing the Great Tree from the top of the Macy’s store at Lenox, there was incident that resulted in the tree falling into the roof of the Men's Store building causing damage.

As the removal of the tree was prior to store opening, no associates or customers were harmed.  We are in the process of assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the incident. The Men's Store portion of the building currently is closed; we anticipate the remainder of Macy's Lenox to open this afternoon."

A source sent Channel 2's Sophia Choi a picture from inside the store that showed broken windows and ceiling tiles. There's reported water damage on all three floors of the Men's Store. Carpet cleaning vans lined the curb late Wednesday afternoon.

Last year, the tree broke as crews worked to hoist it atop the department store. Officials said the tree was only a few feet off the ground when it cracked. A tree also snapped in 2004.

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