The fire broke out inside the building on West 204th Street at 8:24 a.m.
The FDNY was able to bring the fire under control at 10 a.m. It caused extensive damage to two apartments.
"Originally we had about eight units on scene battling the fire. It escalated to a second alarm. We had multiple victims in there. heavy smoke and dangerous conditions throughout," said Deputy Chief Sean Murphy, FDNY.
Fifteen people, including two firefighters, suffered injuries. Among the injured, one person is in serious condition. Most of those hurt suffered smoke inhalation.
Eyewitness News spoke with a man who said the fire started in his apartment.
"I heard these noises behind the radiator, little pops, then I pulled the bedstand out and it started smoking. And then the fire, I don't know how it got to the closet, it's all connected on the wires. The wires are about 100 years old," said Leonard Rzepnicki, a resident.
Officials say the whole building was affected by the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
ALSO READ: Record number of Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving holiday across the U.S.
Record number of Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube