Thirty-one firefighters suffered minor injuries and more than 50 families were left homeless following a large fire Wednesday morning in an apartment building in the city's Bronx borough, fire and Red Cross officials said, according to AP. The blaze erupted on the third floor of the six-story building and quickly spread to consume the roof, said Fire Department spokesman John Criscuoli. The building was evacuated shortly after the blaze was reported at 6:41 a.m. (1141 GMT), and by 8:42 a.m. (1342 GMT), more than 150 firefighters and 50 fire units were needed to battle the blaze. It was declared out at 10:38 a.m.(1538 GMT). The injuries to the 31 firefighters ranged from smoke inhalation, to exhaustion, to «minor bumps, burns and bruises,» Criscouli said. The preliminary cause was a severed wire found under a stove in a third-floor apartment. Red Cross spokeswoman Annie Lazar said 100 apartments were damaged. The agency was assessing how many people would need temporary housing.
