Some 140 firefighters rushed to the three-alarm inferno at 2585 Grand Concourse after a 911 call came in at 11:45 a.m.
"It was a very serious fire," said FDNY spokesman Bill Green. "The firefighters had to use four hand lines to put it out."
The fierce blaze was finally brought under control at 1:20 p.m., he said.
Green said the injured firefighters were taken to Cornell and Jacobi hospitals. Four had minor burns, five had more serious burns and the remainder various joint and back injuries.
Terrified residents of the six-story building described a dramatic explosion in one apartment, understood to be home to a family of four that was out at the time of the blaze.
"Something exploded above me in the living room," said Angelica Grullon, who lives in the apartment below. "Then someone banged on my door and I ran out."
Grullon's tearful sister, Zoraida Cardona, who shares the apartment, said she was just grateful no one had died.
"Everyone I know is alive," she said. "Everything else is all right."
The FDNY is still investigating the cause of the blaze.
Related:
18 FDNY Firefighters Injured In Bronx Apartment Blaze
