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2 young children hurt in Bath Beach, Brooklyn apartment building fire

5-year-old boy, 5-month-old boy critically injured in Brooklyn fire
5-year-old boy, 5-month-old boy critically injured in Brooklyn fire 02:06

NEW YORK — Two children, including an infant, are injured after a fire broke out in their Brooklyn apartment building Wednesday morning.

The fire started around 6:15 a.m. in a first-floor apartment in the building on Bay 19th Street between Benson Avenue and 86th Street. Fire officials say the occupants ran out and left the door open, causing the fire to spread.

"If you leave the fire door open, that causes all sorts of problems. Not only for the apartment directly involved, but for your neighbors," FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph Duggan said.

According to the FDNY, a total of six firefighters and 10 civilians were injured, including a 5-year-old boy and his 5-month-old brother. Officials say the two children and their father were taken to a local hospital in critical condition. All of the other victims suffered minor injuries.

Neighbors say the father is now home resting, while his two children, who suffered smoke inhalation, remain at Maimonides in stable condition. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Neighbors in Bay 19th Street building use fire escapes to escape blaze

Farhan Ali lives in the apartment across the hall from where the fire broke out.

"You couldn't see anything. It was like black, everything was black," he said.

He said the fire alarm in his apartment woke him up, and he opened the door to see what was going on.

"When I open it, believe me it was terrible. Cannot see anything. Shouting, people crying," he said.

Ali, along with his wife and three children, escaped out the window and down the fire escape.

"Thank God we're safe, but still I'm just praying for my friend's kids," Ali said. "They're in critical condition. They are on ventilator right now."

Naela Tariq and her family also had to escape via the fire escape.

"We were not wearing any shoes or socks, and it was like horrible. We didn't know how to get out from the building," she said.

Tariq says she's only been in the building four months, and Wednesday was the first day of her new job after what she called a hard struggle and many interviews.

"It was the first day and my clothes were like all filled with smoke. And everyone was asking, and still, you can see, I still have the fragrance of smoke," she said.

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