At least 10 civilians and three firefighters were injured when a high-rise building in a fashionable area of New York’s Upper West Side was hit by a blaze Thursday afternoon.
According to New York TV station WNBC, none of the 13 people hurt are in danger of dying, but three of the civilians did suffer “serious” injuries.
WPIX Channel 11 reported that the 3-alarm fire began on the third floor of the 33-story building and then spread to the fourth. At times, flames could be seen shooting out of the building.
People on higher floors said they were feeling the effects of the fire too.
“Fire in our building and we are trapped inside on 7th floor. Can’t go down stairs. Smoke in the halls. Please pray for us,” software engineer Shruti Kulkarni tweeted from the site. She tweeted around 6:45 p.m. that she had been safely evacuated.
The blaze began just before 5 p.m. at 515 W. 59th Street, just a couple blocks from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and sharing the block with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
The fire was put out by 6:30 p.m., but firefighters were still searching the building for possible further casualties.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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