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Several Hurt In Early Morning Fire In Queens

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- At least seven people were hurt, including one critically, in an early morning fire in Queens.

The blaze broke out on the fourth floor of an apartment building around 4:45 a.m. Thursday on Sanford Avenue near 157th Street and went to two alarms, CBS2's Jim Smith reported.

One person is listed in critical condition while three others are in serious condition as the result of the fire. Three firefighters also suffered minor injuries.

Officials say seven apartments in the building were damaged in the blaze. The families living in those apartments were relocated with assistance from the Red Cross. Other families in the building were also relocated.

Resident Leslie Leon escaped the blaze by climbing down the fire escape with her dog, Max, in tow.

"There was a lot of yelling outside the windows and people were knocking on doors we climbed down the fire escape," Leslie Leon, of Flushing, told CBS2's Raegan Medgie.

Resident Alicia Baires, who lives on the fourth floor of the building, had a similar story.

"The smell and everything woke us up. So the kids -- we had to wake up the kids and run down the fire escapes because there was a lot of smoke," Baires said.

The fire was brought under control just after 6 a.m. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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