Firefighters rescued multiple people during a three-alarm fire in Brooklyn on Friday night that left five victims hospitalized.
The blaze ignited inside 3322 Church Ave., a storefront with several apartments above, in East Flatbush at about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 20.
The first firefighters to arrive on the scene encountered heavy fire inside a third-floor apartment that briefly extended through the roof.
“I just stepped out of my apartment to run to the corner store, and I saw bright orange flames shooting from the roof and ceiling,” one eyewitness said.
More than 170 firefighters responded to the blaze. Firefighters used an aggressive interior attack to knock down the main body of fire, which was brought under control just before midnight.
All five residents injured in the blaze were taken to local hospitals in stable condition.
FDNY marshals are now investigating the cause of the fire.
