The three-alarm fire broke out along College Avenue in the Melrose section around 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Parts of that building now blanket the sidewalk along with rubble from the blaze.
You can see right through the five-story building because multiple windows were blown out on the top floor.
Firefighters were met with intense flames on the top floor, as smoke billowed. Crews poured water into the structure, although much damage was already done.
"It was massive. It spread through the whole roof, and it was just engulfing everything, so it was just a lot of fire and a lot of smoke. It was just crazy. It's the first I'm seeing a fire of that magnitude," said Raheem Brown.
Firefighters got the blaze under control by around 12:30 a.m.
One person was taken to Lincoln Hospital with minor injuries.
The Red Cross says it is assisting 17 displaced residents. One neighbor told Eyewitness News that she packed up some suitcases because her apartment is under water.
The FDNY is investigating the cause of the fire.
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