Firefighters battled a massive fire on the roof of a Midtown Manhattan building just blocks away from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Tuesday.
Photo by Dean Moses
Firefighters are battling a massive fire on the roof of a Midtown Manhattan building just blocks away from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Tuesday.
The inferno erupted at around 9:45 a.m. on March 17 on West 43rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
Video posted on the Citizen app showed intense flames and plumes of thick, acrid black smoke emanating from the roof of the eight-story building. The building was evacuated as firefighters made their way to the roof to put out the fire.
The inferno erupted at around 9:45 a.m. on March 17 on West 43rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.Screenshot via Citizen 
Video posted on the Citizen app showed intense flames and plumes of thick, acrid black smoke emanating from the roof of the eight-story building. The building was evacuated as firefighters made their way to the roof to put out the fire.Photo by Dean Moses
Based on preliminary reports, the fire appeared to involve a backup generator with 100 gallons of diesel fuel stored nearby.
Upper floors of nearby skyscrapers were also evacuated as a precaution. One of the affected workers who spoke with amNewYork said he was stunned to see the heavy smoke pouring from the neighboring structure.
“It seemed like everyone and their mother was getting out of the building,” said the worker, named Chris. “I couldn’t tell if it was our building initially or if the smoke was coming out of the backside. But the Citizen video as pretty good” in demonstrating the extent of the fire.
Hundreds of firefighters converged on the scene to assist in the effort to put out the inferno.Photo by Dean Moses
Hundreds of firefighters converged on the scene to assist in the effort to put out the inferno. The building is located just a few blocks away from the starting point of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, where tens of thousands of people are expected to line the 5th Avenue parade route and/or participate in the march today.
The city’s Emergency Management department advised New Yorkers to steer clear of the corner of East 43rd Street and Madison Avenue, where emergency personnel are stationed as firefighting operations continue.
This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for updates.