UPPER EAST SIDE — Four people were injured when fire broke out in a Second Avenue building Thursday morning, FDNY officials said.
Flames erupted in the basement of 1830 Second Ave., near East 94th Street, about 6:15 a.m., before dropping into the basement and climbing up the walls to every floor, FDNY officials said.
Tenants frantically ran through the building banging on doors, trying to get everyone to safety, they said.
"A gentleman grabbed a flashlight and was pounding on everyone's door. People were grabbing what they could. I put on clothes and got out," said Andrew Schanbacher, who's lived in the building for three years.
"There was a lot of smoke in the hallway. It was smoldering in the walls. The paint was burning. Smoke was pouring out of the roof," said Schanbacher, 29.
Firefighters arrived and quickly went to work, tenants said.
"They started smashing the windows. Smoke was billowing up. They took the hoses out. They got the ladders up and were on the roof," said Casey Nichik, 29, who lives with Schanbacher.
"Units found fire on the first floor, which was extending up to the second, third and all the way up to the top floor. So, it was a very difficult fire to extinguish," said FDNY Deputy Chief Nicholas Corrado.
MAN 2-ALARM BOX 1233, 1830 2 AVE, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE IN BASEMENT AND WALLS,
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) April 7, 2016
About 150 firefighters responded and raced to bring the flames under control, officials said.
"We got ahead of the fire and extinguished the fire before it consumed the whole building," Corrado said.
They brought the blaze under control by 8 a.m., officials said.
MAN 3-ALARM BOX 1233, 1830 2 AVE, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE IN WALLS, UNDER CONTROL
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) April 7, 2016
Two civilians and two firefighters were treated for minor injuries, officials said.
Fire marshals will determine what sparked the flames, officials said.
Those in the area should expect smoke in the air and traffic problems, officials said.
.@FDNY 3 Alarm Fire: E 94th St & 2nd Ave, MN. Expect smoke & traffic delays in area. People nearby avoid smoke, close windows.
— NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) April 7, 2016
