UTICA - Thursday, the history of the F.X. Matt Brewery was severely threatened. What was supposed to be the first Saranac Thursday of the year drew thousands. It was just after 5:00 PM that these people were forced to leave.

It was just shortly after the gates opened that the fire started. The band was already on stage, but shortly after is when the choas broke out.

Thousands lined the streets around the F.X. Matt Brewery, hoping to catch a glimpse of the thick black smoke billowing from the structure. Some saw that smoke several miles away while en route to the Saranac Thursday festivities.

You could see the fire right out of Barneveld. A resident said, "we were on our way down and all you could see was smoke, I thought it was Lowes or Wal-Mart and it's the Utica Brewery man."

Those living in houses right around the brewery obviously had a birds eye view of the fire. They were quickly told to get back inside for their safety. Residents there said, "they told us to go in the house because they didn't want us to breath in the chemicals."

The band was the called "The Bomb" and was already performing on stage, only half way into their second song when law enforcement asked them to make an announcement for people to leave.

The band members themselves quickly tried to get everything off stage they could. A member, Mike San Talucia, said, "as we were starting to carry a few things off the stage, then the thing just really lit up. and then we went on stage and started carrying all the expensive stuff out as quickly as we could the cops were yelling at us it went up quick."