A massive 6-alarm fire is burned through a six-story building in Upper Manhattan.
The fire broke out on the top floor around 3:15 p.m. Friday at 565 West 144th St. near Broadway in Hamilton Heights.
The building has stores on the first floor and 42 apartments on floors two through six.
"A big fire coming from my building and onto Broadway and people were hysterical and that's where it all started," said John Farias, a resident.
More than 250 firefighters responded to the scene where high winds made the fire more difficult to put out.
Jose Tavarez lived on the sixth floor.
"There were plenty of people in the building," Taverez said. "I helped some elderly people get out with their pets and their family members."
The wind gusts over 20 miles an hour quickly fueled the fire as it chewed through the room and into the other sixth floor apartments.
"It drove us off the top floor and contributed to the rapid fire spread throughout the top floor," FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard said.
Residents in neighboring buildings were forced out due to the heavy smoke condition on West 144th St.
"We just saw flames," said Sophia Boswell, a resident. "We took the children and left and are monitoring the situation, and worried about the wind and flames jumping from building to building."
From Newscopter 7, firefighters were seen attacking the blaze with as many as four ladder towers shooting streams of water down on the fire, which burned down into the fifth floor apartments.
"The entire top floor is heavily involved, it is still a very active fire scene," Leonard said. "A lot of the roof is burned away and we still have very heavy fire and smoke."
There was also the potential for collapse and the fire burned down through other floors of the 100-year-old building.
Kristen Carlberg's roommate grabbed her cat Polly and ran.
"She's like, 'Hey, our apartment building is on fire,' and she actually managed to grab my cat, thank God," Carlberg said.
Seven firefighters, one police officer, and one civilian suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The Red Cross is currently assisting 22 families, and will help them find a hotel.
PS 153 at 1750 Amsterdam Ave. is set up as a reception center for residents to get aid, hot meal and information.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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HAMILTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan — Nearly 200 firefighters responded to a fast-growing, five-alarm fire that spread through an apartment building in Hamilton Heights late into the evening Friday, sending dark plumes of smoke billowing over northern Manhattan.
The blaze was so devastating to the 100-year-old residential building that FDNY Chief James Leonard fears the structure could collapse.
The fire broke out just after 3 p.m. on the top floor of the occupied six-story building at 565 W. 144th St. near Broadway. The fire was still raging hours later, and has collapsed the roof of the building, which covers a large portion of the city block. Crews are fighting the blaze from ladders and also from the rooftops of adjacent buildings as the fire continues to spread through 42 neighboring units.
Firefighters are having a hard time getting an upper hand on the fast-moving blaze as the entire neighborhood has been filled with heavy smoke that has drifted due to strong winds. Many residents were visibly upset as they realized their homes were destroyed.
Four minor injuries have been reported — three firefighters and one civilian. The search for residents in the building was called off due to the roof collapse, but no one has been reported missing. Buildings across the street from the fire have been evacuated, also because of the collapse fears.
Resident Mannaesh Carter was downstairs at a nearby store when he smelled the smoke. He ran upstairs and went door-to-door warning his neighbors.
"I tried to get as many people out as I could, I started banging on doors and just screaming 'fire fire,'" Carter said. "My cat is gone, all my clothes, all the papers, gotta start all over." Kathleen Carter, another resident, said this is the second time in two years she has been displaced from a fire. At least 40 families have been displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Kathleen Carter said. "I have to start from scratch."
Witnesses took to social media as black smoke could be seen from miles away. People in the area say sections of the building's façade are falling to the street. Police are urging everyone to stay away from the area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
