Massive Fire Damages Vital Vehicles Used In Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Seven vehicles that were reportedly supposed to be used in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade went up in flames on Monday morning.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade will be subject to some last-minute changes. A row of buses and trailers that were scheduled to be used in the parade unexpectedly went up in flames. A total of seven vehicles were destroyed in the fiery blaze.
At this point the cause of the fire is unknown. According to ABC7 Eyewitness News, the event is currently being listed as suspicious until an actual cause can be determined. Thankfully, no one was hurt as a result of the fire.
The fire occurred in industry-heavy Kearny, NJ at Royal Buses Inc. The Thanksgiving Day Parade vehicles were found ablaze at around 6 AM on Monday morning when the groundskeeper of the facility reported to work. The groundskeeper immediately called emergency personnel to the scene, however, the fire spread so quickly that seven vehicles were lost before firefighters got the flames under control.
Thankfully, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will still go off without a hitch. On Time Elite, the company that provides the vehicles for the parade, has other fleets of vehicles parked in different locations, so replacements can be easily secured for the main event. However, even though the parade will go on as scheduled, On Time Elite still has to contend with the major losses that they incurred as a result of the fiery incident.
Each vehicle was reportedly valued at about $670,000. With 7 vehicles incinerated, that amounts to approximately $4,690,000 in losses. That is no small number. Hopefully On Time Elite has an elite-level insurance policy to cover that immense loss.
On the bright side, eager Thanksgiving Day Parade spectators will still be treated to a fantastic spectacle. In fact, a new Wonderbread float is set to make its debut this year. Another new edition to the parade’s float lineup is Bluey from the BBC’s hit cartoon show.
Some iconic classics will be making their return to Macy’s 98th Thanksgiving day parade, too. Snoopy, the parade’s longest-running float character, will be cruising the Manhattan skies as an astronaut this year. Macy’s Blue and White Stars and the Pillsbury Dough Boy will be heading down to Herald Square as well.
I’m personally excited to see The Pokémon Company’s new Pikachu and Eevee float. You can take a look at the full lineup on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s official website and pick out a few of your favorite floats here. You can also get a sneak peek of all the marching bands and performers that are scheduled to appear, as well.
If you are lucky enough to be in New York City on Thanksgiving day you can watch the parade in person along 2.5 miles of the route. However, your best bet to get some great glimpses of all the floats and performers are along the 6th avenue stretch between 59th and 38th streets. Or if you prefer to avoid the most intense crowds, you can choose to watch the parade’s kickoff from Central Park West between West 75th and West 61st streets.
Or if you’re like me, you can watch the parade from the comfort of your living room couch. Happy viewing. And most importantly, Happy Thanksgiving!
