Daring New York rescue

Window washing is one profession that is not for the faint of heart, nor for those who have a fear of heights, and this next story will show you why.

New Yorkers witnessed a very dramatic rescue high above Manhattan Wednesday afternoon at America’s tallest skyscraper.

The scaffolding carrying two window washers got stuck outside the One World Trade Center Building. Firefighters had to rescue them after they became trapped on the scaffolding, dangling near the 68th floor. The open-topped platform hung at about a 45-degree angle, swaying in the wind. Working from inside, firefighters cut a hole through a thick double-paned window and pulled the workers inside to safety.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro: “As you all know, we had a scaffolding incident here, at One World Trade Center, earlier today. Two workers were on that scaffold on the 68th floor, when it suddenly went from horizontal to nearly vertical. The cables did not break. Their slack developed on the west side of the scaffolding, causing it to go to that position.”

Fire officials say the workers were left hanging for about an hour before being pulled to safety, but they were tethered inside the scaffold the entire time and were not injured.