Fire Erupts in High Rise A Block from St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The fire was in the cooling towers on the roof of the building on East 43rd St. The cause is under investigation.
| 17 Mar 2026 | 11:54
Firefigthers battle a blaze on high rise building in mid-town that erupted just as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was starting on March 17th. The building which was under renovation and was evacuated with no injuries. (
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FDNY Deputy Chief Brian Whalen said the fire started in the cooling units of HVAC system. The cause is under investigation. (
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Flames shoot from the cooling towers of a high rise at 6 E. 43rd St. around 9:45 a.m. only a block away from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade which started on time at 11 a.m. at Fifth and 44th St. on March 17. (
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A two alarm fire erupted in a high rise building at 6 E. 43rd St. between Madison Ave. and Fifth Ave. at around 9:45 a.m. on March 17, shortly before the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was slated to start a block away.
The fire was started in the HVAC system in the cooling towers on the roof of the structure, said FDNY deputy chief Brian Whalen at a press conference.
The only people inside the unoccupied building that was being renovated were construction workers and all personnel were accounted for, Whalen said.
”It was under control in about an hour and a half,” said Whalen. About 140 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the blaze.
The FDNY posted a video of the fire on its X account.
Construction workers were back inside shortly after the fire was extinguished. “The workers are back in, they’re doing their work, and the fire marshals and the inspectors will be in there to see if they’re following the codes and making sure everything’s going the way it’s supposed to be,” Whalen said.
Two people suffered minor injuries including an EMS Lieutenant and a police officer.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Despite its location a block away from the start of the St. Patrick’s Day parade on 44th St. and Fifth Ave. the blaze did not have an impact although the billowing smoke could be seen from the starting point. But Whalen noted the fire “was not in a convenient location.”
But the parade kicked off on time precisely at 11 a.m.
The cause