Flames swept through the five-story, 55-unit apartment building on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway overnight.
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Officials say the four-alarm fire started in a first floor ceiling then quickly spread upstairs.
Firefighters battled heavy smoke but were able to bring the fire under control quickly.
All of the residents escaped, but some lost everything
A section of apartments on all floors on a wing of the apartment building sustained heavy fire and water damage.
One resident was being treated for a minor injury, while other rousted residents were being sheltered in MTA buses as officials worked to determine if they could return to their apartments.
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"I was at my father-in-law's house, and I got a phone call that there was a fire on the second floor," one resident said. "I come back, and everything is just gone. I can't fathom what's going on right now. It hasn't hit me just yet. Reality will hit me soon, but right now, I just can't think. All of my stuff is melted."
The fire prompted local street closures including:
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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