Nineteen people, including nine firefighters, were taken to the hospital after a wind-driven fire broke out in a 40-story building in New York City early Saturday morning.
The blaze on the 12th floor of a Second Avenue building on Manhattan's Upper East Side saw 25 fire department units – a total of 110 firefighters – speed to the scene after the call came through at 3:42 a.m., said Mike Madison, a fire department spokesman said.
Nine firefighters were taken to the hospital, including six who suffered minor burns to their knees, Madison said.
Ten civilians suffered minor injuries or were affected by smoke inhalation, the FDNY spokesman added. The fire was brought under control at 5:34 a.m.
Fire officials said the fire was contained to one apartment, NBCNewYork.com reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. As of noon Saturday, more than six hours after the blaze was brought under control, fire officials remained on the scene. Windows on the building’s 12thfloor were shattered and shards of glass were scattered on the sidewalk in front of the building, along with other debris. Broken glass was also in the street on Second Avenue.
John Rodriguez waited for the building’s elevator service to be restored on Saturday afternoon. Rodriguez, 75, got a call from his girlfriend, a resident of the building’s 28th floor, at about 5 a.m. Rodriguez said she was told by building security to stay put. Rodriguez was hoping to avoid climbing the 28flights of stairs up to see her.
“At some point, I’ll have to make the climb,” he said.
NBC News’ Michele Acevedo and Ian Johnston contributed to this report.
