A smoky fire swept through a five-story Upper East Side building yesterday, forcing the evacuation of 25 tenants and injuring six firefighters, authorities said.
The two-alarm blaze broke out at 8:06 a.m. in the ceiling of a liquor store on the ground floor of the building at 1364 York Ave. at 73rd Street, fire officials said.
The fire spread up to the fifth floor through the ventilation shafts, they said.
Faulty wiring appeared to be the cause.
A total of 106 firefighters using 25 trucks battled for more than an hour to bring the blaze under control at 9:27 a.m.
The smoke eaters chopped holes in walls and ceilings to try to prevent the blaze from spreading. The East River Liquor store, where the blaze broke out, suffered the worst damage.
All the 25 tenants were evacuated. They either found lodging with friends or relatives or were put up in hotels by the Red Cross.
“My apartment was destroyed,” said Lucy Malone, 32, who lives on the fifth floor. “I don’t have a kitchen or a bathroom anymore.”
Micheline Thomas, 27, who lives on the second floor and has two dogs and a cat, said one of her dogs, Budo, “got a little freaked out” when firefighters kicked in her door. “I was a little calmer about it.”
Six firefighters were admitted to New York Hospital. A Fire Department spokesman said one had serious injuries that he didn’t describe and the others had minor injuries.