Firefighters in Mount Vernon, who found heavy fire showing from an apartment building early Sunday, quickly called for additional manpower.
Five firefighters suffered minor injuries during the operation that left about 150 residents displaced, WABC reporetd.
Firefighters reported the fire started inside a seventh floor unit and quickly spread through the cockloft and roof.
"We tried making an aggressive interior attack. The fire gets into the cockloft which is a space between the top floor ceiling and underside of the roof. Once it get a headway, there's just no stopping it," Mount Vernon Deputy Fire Chief James Lang said.
Firefighters were on the scene for more than eight hours.
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
