Two firefighters fell through the second floor of a Brooklyn home amid a raging fire early Wednesday, while two others suffered minor injuries while battling flames, officials say.
One of the two firefighters who fell suffered burns and was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. He was briefly pinned on the first floor, triggering a mayday call, officials said. The other firefighter who fell in the fiery frenzy at the multi-story home on East Ninth Street wasn't badly hurt.
Ultimately, a total of six injuries stemmed from the blaze, but most were minor.
According to officials, the fire erupted around 4:15 a.m. and quickly engulfed both the first and second floors. Video posted to the Citizen app showed intense flames leaping from the building. The fire then extended to two buildings next door.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Irene Torres, who lives in the nearest neighboring building, described hearing screams and smelling smoke amid the chaos.
No one in her building or the one next to it was hurt, but the person who lives in the home where the fire broke out was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Officials said that man was pulled from the basement in cardiac arrest.
Neighbors said he lived alone and didn't interact with them.
Local
The fire was declared under control within about two hours. The cause of it remains under investigation.
