Bronx

7 hurt, dozens of families displaced as fire devours NYC apartment building

The fire broke out on Wallace Avenue in the Bronx shortly before 2 a.m.

NBC Universal, Inc.

More than a half-dozen people, most of them firefighters, were hurt Friday when a five-alarm blaze erupted at an apartment building in the Bronx, officials say. Dozens of families -- about 150 people -- are displaced.

Authorities responding to a call about a fire on Wallace Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. found flames on the top floor of the six-story building. It escalated to five alarms within about an hour. Nearly 200 firefighters battled the flames.

Strong winds intensified the battle.

Seven people, five firefighters and two civilians, were said to have been hurt. Five of them were taken to local hospitals; one civilian was treated at the scene. Dozens of families were said to be displaced.

The cause is under investigation.

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