A fire broke out in a Midtown high-rise near the St. Patrick’s Day parade route just before the festivities are set to begin. Thick smoke was seen billowing from a building near East 43rd Street as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky from the roof of a building in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday morning.

The blaze broke out at 6 East 43rd Street, one block from where the St Patrick’s Day Parade was scheduled to begin at 11 am.