A raging fire tore through a building on Tuesday morning, forcing early hour evacuations over fears it may collapse.
The empty building, slated for renovation, was badly damaged in the blaze as a sprinkler system had not yet been installed.
Firefighters arrived at the scene about 3am to discover the fire burning through several floors and the roof of the New York building.
Michael Parrella, a spokesperson for the New York Fire Department, told The New York Times 198 members attended the scene.
Neighbour Wanda Olson told the paper it was ‘pretty dramatic… Looking out of the window and seeing 10, 20ft of flames out of the building next door.
‘That’s why we left and didn’t wait for any evacuation order.’
Abc7 reported the fire spread quickly throughout the empty building because of the open spaces and residents will not be allowed back in until it is demolished.
Witness Alan Jennings said: ‘I saw a black cloud and then five minutes later I saw all these flames coming up from the bottom to the top,’ he told NBC New York.
The fire was brought under control around 7am, and officials have launched an investigation into the cause.
