STATEN ISLAND — A man was seriously hurt when he leaped out of a second-story Elm Park apartment that had burst into flames, according to a published report.
The man, whose name was not released, was inside the second-floor apartment at 151 Port Richmond Ave., near Vreeland Street, when flames erupted inside about 9:41 a.m. and extended to the floor above, according to an FDNY spokesman and the Staten Island Advance.
The man raced to the window and jumped out, landing on the hard concrete below as flames roared out of the windows above, the Advance reported.
"He hit the floor with his whole body," Agueda Martinez, who works at a deli below the now-burned-out apartment, told the paper. "I think, 'Oh my God,' because I know him—he comes to the store."
One person was taken to Richmond University hospital with serious injuries, but in stable condition, an FDNY spokesman said. The spokesman could not confirm that the patient was the same man who jumped from the window, but said it likely was.
A firefighter was also taken to the hospital and treated for a minor injury, the FDNY said.
Firefighters found an unconscious man on the couch of the apartment and rescued him, the Advance reported. He refused medical attention at the scene.
About 60 firefighters brought the blaze under control shortly after 10 a.m., the FDNY said.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation.
