Brooklyn Fire: 17 Injured, 1 Critical, In Massive NYC Apartment Blaze

At least 17 people, including an elderly woman, were injured after a second-alarm fire broke out at an apartment building in Brooklyn, New York City.

The blaze started around 6.40 a.m. Monday on the fourth floor of the residential building on Penn Street in Williamsburg, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said. Firefighters arrived at the scene minutes later and rescued more than a dozen people, who suffered burns in the blaze, NYPost reported.

A 71-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and she was in critical condition. Three people were taken to another hospital with minor burns and 13 others were treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.

"We were met with a large number of patients early on and almost all at the same time," FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Fred Villani said. "Once they were rescued by the firefighters, EMS personnel on the scene had to make rapid decisions on the severity of injuries. One of the patients was critical and was immediately transported to the hospital by Hatzalah volunteers."

More than 100 firefighters had battled for about an hour to bring the fire under control.

"There were faces at every window when we pulled [the security gates]," a firefighter told Brooklyn Paper.

John Sarrocco, who was also the deputy assistant chief for FDNY, added some people were rescued through the interior of the building, while others were taken out using portable ladders and tower ladders. He said it was a "very arduous process" to remove the injured people from a building "while the fire was still active."

"This was a very arduous process where units had to...firefighters had to risk their lives while the active fire was burning and rescue 17 people," Sarrocco said, CBS News reported.

Jonnathan Lopoz, an eyewitness, told the outlet he called 911 immediately after noticing flames and smoke while he was on his way to work. He also tried to stop the cars passing by to request help but nobody stopped. He then rushed over to the building.

"They were breaking the glass. People start breaking the glass from third floor, fourth floor to escape from the fire," Lopoz recalled. "I kick the door and I saw the flames coming out. Immediately I called 911 to help the people out."

The exact cause of the fire was not known.