Firefighters battle commercial blaze in East Harlem; 5 injuries reported
NEW YORK -- A massive fire broke out overnight at a commercial building in East Harlem.
Firefighters are still on the scene at Third Avenue and East 124th Street.
See live updates below for the latest.
Latest from the scene
The flames erupted around 12:30 a.m. Monday inside a three-story building.
Firefighters appear to be focusing their efforts on the roof and the rear.
It's been a stubborn fire given many factors, including how old the building is.
At one point, the chief had crews handle the flames from the outside due to concerns the building wasn't structurally sound enough to go in.
"We eventually had fire on all three floors, fire through the roof. There's an exterior operation, fire throughout the building," FDNY Chief of Operations John Esposito told reporters on the scene. "We're still on scene, the fire is not yet under control. We have five minor injuries -- four firefighters and one civilian."
The FDNY said part of the building collapsed, and a neighboring apartment building had to be evacuated due to thick smoke that was billowing out.