Five wounded as Manhattan building fire rages on

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Web Desk
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This image — obtained from social media — shows a view of the fire in Hamilton Heights apartment building, Manhattan, US, November 18, 2017. Geo.tv/via New York City Fire Department (@FDNY)
 

MANHATTAN: A massive blaze erupted late Friday night in a residential building here in Hamilton Heights area, triggering at least five alarms, with firefighting and security authorities responding to the scene immediately.

Four firefighters, as well as one civilian, were wounded at the site but their injuries were not life-threatening.

According to James Leonard — the chief of the New York City Fire Department — the inferno is so intense that there are fears the structure would collapse, the New York Post reported.

This image — obtained from social media — shows a view of the fire in Hamilton Heights apartment building, Manhattan, US, November 18, 2017. Geo.tv/via New York City Fire Department (@FDNY)
 

The “entire top floor is heavily involved, it’s still a very heavy, active fire scene”, the chief commented around 6 PM local time.

It has already managed to down the almost 100-year-old building's roof.

Authorities have not yet provided a word on what originally caused the fire so intense it was visible from the nearby Hudson River.

At least 150 firefighters alongside dozens of emergency response vehicles, according to various media outlets, are on the scene of the blaze, which has sent dense clouds of smoke into the air, visible from most parts of the city.

This image — obtained from social media — shows a view of the fire in Hamilton Heights apartment building, Manhattan, US, November 18, 2017. Geo.tv/via Nigâr Hacızade‏ (@nhacizade)
 

The fire — which started around 3:15 PM local time on "corner of 145 and Broadway" — consumed the upper parts of the six-storey structure, leading to what witnesses claim are portions of its facade falling down to the street.

Numerous New Yorkers took to social media to talk about the incident.

Authorities have urged people to stay far from the area to avoid any injuries from the raining debris.

Boasting 50 apartments, Hamilton Heights — located at 560 West 144th Street — "was built in 1920", as per a listing on real-estate firm StreetEasy.