NEW YORK -- Four buildings went up in flames early Wednesday morning in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx.
Officials say they were vacant or under construction, but it was still jarring for neighboring residents who told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge they had to escape thick smoke.
"I essentially woke up in the middle of the night, I heard screaming, glass breaking," one neighbor told Duddridge.
Just after 2:30 a.m., residents on 143rd Street near Willis Avenue were startled awake by the sound of fire alarms. They self evacuated.
"The fire started spreading that way, and then that building started collapsing," neighbor Linda Santos said.
It sent chunks of debris flying.
"Ember and ash 100 yards down the street. It was big," said neighbor Mike Barrell.
"It was landing on our front porch... I actually had a big piece land on my head," neighbor Susan Cohlhausen added.
Firefighters searched the building for anyone inside.
"As of now, there are no civilian injuries, and only one member of the service has minor injuries," FDNY Assistant Chief Kevin Brennan told reporters on the scene.
"I've kind of got to give it to all the fire and the rescue squad, because, you know, to take their time and actually take the fire out and actually help everybody," said resident Gabriel Figueroa.
The massive flames caused the original building to collapse and the fire spread to three other buildings.
Officials believe they were all vacant. One may have been under construction and was also the site of an electrical fire last October. It's now under investigation.
"It's weird, it's really weird," one neighbor said. "Because, really, it's just a coincidence?"
Officials told residents to keep their windows closed, due to lingering smoke in the area.
"I was in my living room. I couldn't sleep because the smoke was just coming in my window," said one person.
"The firefighter chief told me it's safe to come back tonight," another person added.
The fire marshal's office is now trying to determine the cause, and the Red Cross is offering hotel rooms to residents who found the smell too strong to stay, along with kits to help clean up the smoke residue.
Cause under investigation
As CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported, one of the buildings involved in the blaze was also the site of an electrical fire in October.
"The fire is under investigation, due to the heavy volume of fire on arrival," said FDNY Assistant Chief Kevin Brennan.
Assessing the damage
FDNY Assistant Chief Kevin Brennan said the fire is under control, but left behind serious damage.
"At this point, we have the fire contained to the four buildings. The original building is pretty much collapsed," he said. "We have a partial collapse of the adjoining buildings on both sides."
1 firefighter injured
Brennan told reporters no residents were hurt, but one firefighter suffered a minor injury.
"As of now, there are no civilian injuries, and only one member of the service has minor injuries right now," he said.
Fire under control
The FDNY tweeted an update saying the fire was officially under control shortly after 6 a.m.
FDNY on scene of raging Bronx fire
Firefighters battled a massive blaze early Wednesday morning in the Bronx.
The fire broke out at a vacant building under construction and spread to three others. The initial call came in around 2:45 a.m. on East 143rd Street near Willis Avenue in Mott Haven.
Officials told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge they did not find anyone inside the buildings, but one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
Duddridge spoke with residents who said they woke up to the smell of smoke and the sound of fire alarms.
"It was crazy, honestly. I smelled the smoke from my house, I came to check it out. I've never seen anything like it before, honestly. Just so much embers in the sky, like it was raining fire," witness Alex Searis told Duddridge.
"I essentially woke up in the middle of the night, I heard screaming, glass breaking. I kind of thought it was almost like a dream or a party, but I woke up and I looked out my window, and I saw fire trucks and just an orange blaze," another person added.
The Office of Emergency Management advised people in the area to close their windows to keep the smoke out.
