A fire broke out on the roof of a high-rise in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday morning, prompting a rapid response from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) just hours before the start of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Firefighters responded shortly before 10 a.m. to East 43rd Street near Madison Avenue, according to an official statement from the Fire Department posted on social media.
“The FDNY is operating at a fire on East 43rd Street in Manhattan,” the agency
said in a post shared on social media at 10:17 a.m.
A video released by the Fire Department showed thick black smoke billowing from the rooftop of a high-rise as firefighters gathered on the ground. Additional footage shared online appeared to show flames shooting from the top of the building.
In one video
shared by the social media account called New Yorkers, large clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the top of the high-rise as fire trucks and sirens approached the building. In the background, Irish bagpipes played as preparations continued for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
A separate social media post from WhatIsNewYork
reported the blaze involved rooftop equipment, stating that crews were “on scene for a large generator fire on the roof of a 28-story building in midtown (E 43rd St).”
According to a notification from the city’s emergency alert system, FDNY activity was expected to cause traffic delays, road closures, mass transit disruptions, and a heavy presence of emergency personnel in the area of 43rd Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan.
Commuters were advised to consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time, stated the notification at 10:01 a.m.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control before 11 a.m., stopping the fire and preventing it from spreading as crowds gathered nearby for the annual parade. No injuries were immediately reported, according to officials.
The fire broke out just blocks from the route of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of New York City’s largest annual events that draws tens of thousands of spectators and participants.
The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade began in 1762, when Irish soldiers and immigrants marched in Manhattan. "The first NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade was comprised of a band of homesick, Irish ex-patriots and Irish military members serving with the British Army stationed in the colonies in New York,"
stated the parade’s official website.
