Remembering Albany’s Fourth of July Fire and Chaos That Followed

The Fourth of July celebration at Albany's Empire State Plaza is always one of the biggest gatherings of the year in the city. With big music acts, vendors, and food it attracts folks from the city and beyond to take part in the festivities. However, in 2025 things got a bit out of hand and several buildings ended up being destroyed thanks to some terrible behavior.

As the fireworks were going off at the Plaza on that night a year ago there was something else going on. Something took place that caused someone to fire a flare gun into a building on Madison Avenue. That flare gun quickly caused a fire and it got out of control fast. Chaos ensued in the streets as people were trying to leave the plaza. Roads were closed, and everyone was left wondering what had happened.

Remembering the blaze

As the story goes, a fight broke out as the fireworks show began at the Empire State Plaza. At that time one person fired a gun and another a flare gun. The flare gun is what ultimately caused the fire the start.

Read More: You Guide to Fireworks In New York's Capital Region This July 4th

The end result of that fire was the displacement of several Albany residents as the building was burned beyond repair at 335 Madison Avenue. As for other neighbors, they weren't so lucky. 333 Madison avenue had to be demolished, and so did the Madison Grille that was located at 331 Madison Avenue.

Now in 2026 The City of Albany is doing their part to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself at an event that we all hold so dear. They will be increasing police and security in and around the Plaza this year.