Fire marshals are investigating what sparked a three-alarm Little Italy fire on Sunday night that left 13 firefighters and two residents injured.
According to FDNY sources, the fire sparked inside of 182 Hester St. at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Nov. 12 and quickly spread into a 2-alarm fire less than 10 minutes later.
By 6:34 p.m., the inferno had grown exponentially into a 3-alarm fire, prompting hundreds of first responders to descend on the 6-story apartment building.
Onlookers watched in horror as members of New York’s Bravest shattered windowpanes in order to create ventilation while others scaled the roof, their flashlights bobbing in the smoky night air.
FDNY reported that it took some 138 firefighters and five hoses to quell the flames, finally bringing it under control at 8:06 p.m. during that time 13 members of the department were hurt, with 11 suffering minor injuries while two were reportedly hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening wounds. Two residents were also injured but are likewise expected to survive.
