One building was completely destroyed and four others were damaged.
It took firefighters about two and a half hours to get the flames under control.
All of the residents escaped, and some had time to grab their pets on the way out. Others, like Marlyn Gonzalez, were forced to leave them behind. She had to be rescued from the roof of the building.
"When I opened the door, it was dark," she said. "I couldn't see nothing. The flames were coming from the back of the building up."
"She was dangling from the roof," resident Lisa Harris said. "She was scared. I don't blame her."
The fire is still under investigation, but Yonkers Deputy Fire Chief John Flynn says there is reason to believe it was intentionally set.
If that is the case, neighbors can't understand why anyone could put people's lives at risk.
"I wouldn't want to be in that situation," witness Brian Gibbs said. "I can't imagine what these people have been through, having to start all over again. That's messed up. I wouldn't wish that on anybody."
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