By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A fire in a Harlem home early Saturday left two children fighting for their lives and another five people hurt.
The building on West 126th Street, at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, caught fire just before 2 a.m., fire officials said.
Two children and two adults who suffered critical injuries were transported to Saint Luke's Hospital close to 2:30 a.m., the FDNY said. Three other civilians refused medical treatment.
The fire started on the second floor of a multiple-dwelling, four story building and quickly travelled to the third floor, according to the FDNY. It was put out at 2:53 a.m.
The fire was caused by a smoker carelessly discarding a match, the FDNY told DNAinfo Saturday. The situation escalated quickly due to a lack of working fire detectors in the apartment and because the apartment door was left open after the fire started, FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer added.
"We had fire out of six windows and people trapped above,” FDNY Chief Peter Mulhall told CBS, who reported from the scene.
At the scene of the fire, Red Cross appeared to deliver blankets while tenants watched the fire being distinguished, according to CBS.
"I could have burned to death, but thank God," one tenant told CBS.
