The flames broke out inside the three-story building on College Point Boulevard in College Point just before 10 p.m. on Thursday. It then quickly spread to two adjacent buildings.
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There are commercial businesses on the first floor of the building with apartments above.
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"We are very nervous, a little scary, my children are a little confused and scared, but I'm trying to keep them calm, but everybody now is OK, is quiet. Yeah, everybody are alive now," said Jorge Carmona, a resident.
At least four firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.