Major fire burns Manhattan tower near Flatiron Building

Smoke billowed across Manhattan skies Saturday afternoon as a massive fire consumed a 12-story tower near the Flatiron Building. The FDNY scrambled over 45 units to battle the blaze at West 25th Street and Broadway. Nearly 150 firefighters and emergency medical technicians responded to the scene just yards from Madison Square Park.

A second alarm rang out inside the building at 12:17pm after crews were first called in at 11:48am. By 1:32pm, officials said the fire was fully contained. Two people suffered minor burns during the incident but refused medical treatment at the scene. An FDNY spokesperson confirmed these details to the Daily Mail.

Dramatic video footage captured thick smoke pouring from the rooftop and filling the air above the bustling neighborhood. The building sits opposite a site of deep historical significance for the department. Just days before this latest emergency, the FDNY held a ceremony on the same block to mark the 60th anniversary of a fatal fire in October 1966.

That earlier tragedy occurred at East 23rd Street and Broadway where a toxic mix of paints and chemicals fueled an uncontrollable inferno. The blaze claimed twelve firefighter lives, marking one of the darkest days in department history. New apartments within the affected building have sold for over $50 million as developers prepare to reopen the property by late 2026. The Flatiron Building has spent years under scaffolding while renovations continued behind those steel frames.