NEW YORK (AP) - An attempt to erect the world's largest popsicle in a New York City square ended with a scene straight out of a disaster film but much stickier.
The 7.6-metre-tall, 16-tonne treat of frozen Snapple unexpectedly quickly melted in the midday sun Tuesday, flooding Union Square in downtown Manhattan with pink fluid that sent pedestrians scurrying for higher ground.
Firefighters closed off several streets and used hoses to wash away the sugary goo as the giant Kiwi-Strawberry flavoured pop gushed liquid.
The leaking slush was slippery; some passers-by were reported to have slipped in the puddles, although the fire department reported no serious injuries.
Snapple had been trying to promote a new line of frozen treats by setting a record for the world's largest popsicle but called off the stunt before the ice-scraper was pulled fully upright by a construction crane.
Event officials said they were worried the 2 1/2-storey pop was melting from the inside out and would collapse.
"We planned for this...we just didn't expect for it to happen so fast," said Snapple spokeswoman Lauren Radcliffe.
She said the company would offer to compensate the city and the fire department for cleanup expenses.
Temperatures hit 27 degrees C in New York on Tuesday, the first day of summer.
Organizers weren't sure why the pop melted so quickly. It was supposed to have been able to withstand the heat for some time. It had been made in Edison, N.J., and hauled to New York by freezer truck in the morning.
"My theory is that it was a combination of the heat...and it may not have been frozen all the way through," Radcliffe said.
She said the company is unlikely to make a second attempt to break the record, set by a 6.4-metre pop in Holland in 1997.
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