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23 Hurt After Massive Blaze Hits Staten Island Home, FDNY Says

By  Kathleen Culliton and Nicholas Rizzi | August 18, 2016 7:01pm | Updated on August 18, 2016 7:43pm

 The home at 228 Benziger Ave. erupted in flames around 6:10 p.m. and quickly escalated to a five-alarm fire. 
The home at 228 Benziger Ave. erupted in flames around 6:10 p.m. and quickly escalated to a five-alarm fire. 
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DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi

ST. GEORGE — A massive fire broke out in a St. George house Thursday evening, spreading to six neighboring homes and leaving 23 people hurt, officials said.

The majority of the injuries were minor, but one person was seriously hurt and was taken to Richmond University Medical Center in stable condition, according to the FDNY.

The three-story home at 228 Benziger Ave., near Jersey Street, caught fire around 6:10 p.m., the FDNY said. Nearly 250 firefighters worked for about three hours to put out the blaze, which was eventually under control at 9:05 p.m., officials said.

A spokesman said Friday that the home was "totally destroyed" and the Red Cross said the flames damaged six others.

Fire

A fire broke out at a Staten Island home  on Thursday, Aug. 18. (DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi)

It is unclear what started the fire, which remains under investigation, according to the FDNY.

The Department of Buildings was inspecting five of the damaged homes Friday and issued vacate orders for three of them, a spokesman for the agency said.

No violations have been issued on any of the homes so far, the spokesman said.

The Red Cross responded and provided aid for about 55 people — including at least 20 children — whose homes were damaged, a spokesman said.

Ten families were given emergency housing at hotels and the Red Cross will provide displaced residents with food and clothing, the spokesman said.

On Thursday, firefighters, police and representatives from Con Edison and the Office of Emergency Management flooded the scene. There was still a large presence of emergency workers on Friday afternoon and a spokesman for the FDNY did not know how long they will remain on scene.

The city issued vacate orders for three of the damaged homes. (DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi)