The cause of a stubborn fire burning underneath a Manhattan hotel responsible for injuring five people, including three firefighters, is still under investigation.
The FDNY said the fire started in an underground homeless encampment below a 7-story hotel on West 42nd Street in Hell's Kitchen Saturday evening.
The fire's positioning proved difficult for a number of reasons, including its proximity to Amtrak train tracks, which prompted delays as firefighters moved below ground to fight the fire.
"Before we operate on the tracks, obviously we have to contact the Amtrak authorities, they have to kill power to the area to make sure that there's no diesel train movement on the rails," Battalion Chief Joe Castellano said. "And getting access down through the building, it's like climbing down through a chimney flute.
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In total, five people were taken to away to be treated for various injuries, the extent of which was not immediately clear.
