On Tuesday morning (17 March 2026), a massive fire broke out in a high-rise building in Midtown Manhattan, New York, USA, due to which black smoke spread in the sky of the entire city. The incident occurred just hours before the start of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, causing chaos in the area. According to the New York City Fire Department, the fire broke out around 10 a.m. in a skyscraper near East 43rd Street and Madison Avenue. This area is near Grand Central Terminal, where there is always a lot of crowd.

As soon as the fire broke out, several fire brigade vehicles reached the spot. Thick black smoke was seen coming out from the roof of the building, which was visible far and wide. In the video surfaced on social media, strong flames were also seen rising from the roof. It is being told that construction work was going on in the building where the fire broke out. However, whether there was anyone inside at that time or not could not be immediately confirmed.

CHAOS IN MANHATTAN

A massive rooftop fire explodes near Grand Central Terminal — thick black smoke choking the skyline of New York City.

– Dozens of firefighters racing to stop it
– Smoke visible for miles
– Happening near St. Patrick’s Day parade crowds#MANHATTAN #sstvi pic.twitter.com/INAi27LMgq

— GlobeUpdate (@Globupdate) March 17, 2026

Traffic jam in the area due to the incident

Due to this incident, there were problems like traffic jams, road closures and delays in public transport in the area. The administration advised people to exercise caution. The fire brigade team worked quickly and brought the fire under control before 11 o’clock, due to which there was no major impact on the parade. Even after this, the teams remained on the spot and investigation into the cause of the fire was started.

MASSIVE FIRE SLAMS MANHATTAN

Huge fire RIGHT NOW Near Grand Central Terminal! STAY SAFE pic.twitter.com/r9PBOpE2i8

— Walks&WallStreet (@WalksWallstreet) March 17, 2026