Seven firefighters were injured battling a blaze on Staten Island last night, officials said.
The fire broke out at 9:30 p.m. on Van Duzer Street in Stapleton on the second floor of a private home.
The blaze quickly got out of control and flames were shooting through the roof when firefighters reached the scene, the FDNY said.
“The flames were raging” when firefighters arrived, said a neighbor who declined to give his name.
“The whole facade is still there, but it’s just a shell of what it was.”
No one was home when the inferno erupted.
A stairwell collapsed in the home, causing one firefighter to fall.
Two of the injured Bravest sustained serious but nonlife-threatening injuries and burns, officials said. The others suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.