Eyewitness News is told the fire broke out in stores on the ground floor of an apartment building at the intersection of Third Avenue and East 72nd Street just before 5:15 a.m. Smoke spread throughout the rest of the building.
Rusty Pacheco of Grace's Marketplace next door - says they heard the alarm and ran out of his store. He says the staff was unhurt but his store suffered water damage.
Officials say at least 33 people -- 14 residents and 19 firefighters were treated. All of the injuries were reported to be minor.
The Fire Department said the one firefighter was in serious but not life-threatening condition.
An MTA bus was brought in to shelter temporarily displaced residents.
Local streets were closed, including Third Avenue between East 70th and East 72nd streets. Five buses -- the M101, M102, M30, M72, AND M103 -- were re-routed.
Some 138 firefighters tackled the blaze and brought it under control by about 6:30 a.m., and tenants who had left the 34-story building because of the flames were back in their apartments by mid-morning.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
