by Natasha Ghoneim
Fire marshals are investigating a massive fire in Chinatown Sunday night that injured nearly two-dozen people, including more than 20 firefighters.
Twelve hours after the fire at 285 Grand Street started, smoke continued to billow out of the building.
Firefighters spent most of Monday morning hosing down hot spots on the roof and the upper floors of the building at the intersection of Grand and Eldridge Streets.
The fire spread to three buildings and reached seven alarms around 12:30 a.m.
More than 250 firefighters from 66 units responded. Some had to be pulled out while fighting the fire because of conditions in the building.
"It's an old building. There's tin ceilings in the building," said Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano. "So the fire started someplace in the basement in the first floor and it's difficult to open up to find that fire, but the problem was exacerbated by people coming down the front and rear fire escape, so that first effort was made to rescue all those people, which they did."
Of the 33 people who were injured, two building residents were hurt critically, one seriously. As of Monday afternoon, an 86-year-old female remained in critical condition at Beth Israel Hospital.
At least 29 firefighters and an EMS worker suffered minor injuries. One firefighter suffered more serious burns.
"There was just like smoke gushing out. We just grabbed all our stuff because they told us to get out," said one building resident.
"I came out of the subway and it was just like 60 feet in the air," said a witness. "It's three buildings; they're all on fire."
"We heard fire engines, and as a jaded New Yorker, I did not pay attention," said a resident. "We heard a couple of more and my roommate, who's new to New York, went out was like, oh they're outside, and I smelled smoke and I said that's smoke, and I ran downstairs and there were people there, so we ran back up and got out."
Fire officials believe the flames started at 283 Grand Street and then spread to 285.
Residents of more than 60 units in four buildings were affected.
The Red Cross says it is providing services to 27 families (72 adults and 20 children) which have been displaced.
A member of the community emergency response team was on site with interpreters. He said some of the tenants left so quickly that they do not even have identification.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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