Two people were injured and two families were displaced after a two-alarm fire tore through an apartment building in Kensington Sunday morning.
The fire broke out shortly before noon at 717 Avenue C. The fire sent heavy smoke and flames shooting from a third-floor window, according to the FDNY.
Neighbors watched as firefighters rushed to the scene and battled the flames for more than two hours.
“It was scary, and I think about the families, you know, when something like that happens. It’s scary,” said Betty Cruc, who lives in the neighborhood.
Another neighbor described watching the smoke change from white to black as the fire intensified.
“I just saw white smoke, then all of a sudden billowed black smoke just started coming out,” the neighbor said while live on the Citizen app.
Paramedics took the two who suffered minor injuries to Maimonides Hospital.
The fire left significant damage behind, including blown-out windows and piles of damaged personal belongings outside the building.
A Department of Buildings vacate order means at least two families will not be able to stay in their homes Sunday night. The Red Cross was helping those families find temporary shelter as of Sunday night.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.