BAY RIDGE — A raging fire in a home on 81st Street left two firefighters injured and forced the evacuation of four houses early Thursday, FDNY officials said.
One firefighter was listed in serious but stable condition after suffering nausea, vomiting and headaches, an FDNY spokesman said. The second firefighter was treated for minor injuries.
Both were taken to local hospitals.
No residents were injured, the spokesman said.
"Flames and smoke were everywhere. Fire trucks were flooding the street," said Loretta Marotto, 60, who lives across the street from 170 81st St. "It started from the back of the house, and then spread to the next house.
"The fire went up really quickly," she added.
More than 150 firefighters from 48 units responded to the four-alarm blaze, reported at 3:27 a.m. at 170 81st St., a leafy, residential street of one- and two-family homes. The flames spread to the second and third floors of a semi-attached house, and damaged at least two other houses next door.
The FDNY posted on its Twitter account at 6:31 a.m. that the fire had been brought under control.
Nearly two hours later, heavy smoke still billowed from doors and windows, and firefighters continued to pour water on the houses.
Three people evacuated from 170 81st St., whom Marotto identified as two parents and their daughter, hugged and cried as they watched the scene. They declined to speak to reporters.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the FDNY.
