Earlier this morning, a fire started on the ground floor of an apartment building on East 72nd Street and Third Avenue, causing all 34 floor to be evacuated. Two firefighters were seriously hurt, while four others and thirteen civilians suffered minor injuries.
The fire was seen in a newsstand and stationery store, according to WNBC. Rusty Pacheco of Grace's Marketplace, located next door, said, "The moment we heard the alarm next door and we saw the flames go up, we got out of the building because we didn't know what was going on."
Surrounding streets were closed and the MTA sent a bus to house displaced residents. The fire was under control by 6:30AM, but bus routes still seem to be re-routed.
