A large fire erupted on the roof of a Midtown Manhattan high-rise that sent black smoke into the air near the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Tuesday. The building is located at 6 East 43rd St., between Fifth and Madison avenues, just a block from the beginning of the parade route.
The fire started burning at around 9:45 a.m. on the roof in the building's cooling tower, which is part of the HVAC system, leading to an all-hands operation. Thick smoke was seen billowing from a building near East 43rd Street as emergency crews rushed to the scene. The wind-driven fire took about 140 fire and EMS personnel on scene to take care of the situation.
It took a little less than 90 minutes to get the fire under control. Three people, including an EMS lieutenant and a police officer, suffered minor injuries related to the smoke. The building in Midtown East is being renovated and firefighters feared some construction workers were stuck inside during the fire, but Whiston confirmed all of the workers evacuated the building and were accounted for.
The good news? The St. Patrick's Day Parade stepped off without delay at 11 a.m. from 44th Street heading up to 79th, with an estimated 2 million people lining Fifth Avenue. The fire appears to be in a rooftop HVAC system and the cause remains under investigation. For a related look at how St. Patrick's Day events unfolded across the city, check out our full St. Patrick's Day coverage.