Crews worked Thursday night to put out a three-alarm fire in the Bronx.
One hundred and forty firefighters got the call in Hunts Point around 8 p.m. and took about two hours to get the blaze under control.
Witnesses say it started in an apartment that was undergoing renovations.
One woman said her mother lives next door and was barely able to escape.
"She was smelling the smoke when she went in first into the apartment, so she came out to the balcony and they were telling her to come out," the woman said.
"I went to the door and I could smell it's coming from there, and I said, 'There's no one in that apartment,' because they were doing construction work in that apartment. I said, 'That apartment is empty. You're going to have to break that door down.' So then they said, 'Are you sure?' I said, 'Yes, I'm sure,'" said another person at the scene. "So then they broke the door down, and sure enough, that's where the fire was."
Six firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
The Red Cross is assisting displaced residents.