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14 Hurt In 3-Alarm Apartment Building Fire In Borough Park

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Fourteen people were hurt, including several children, in an extra-alarm fire Monday at an apartment building in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

As CBS2's Magdalena Doris reported, some obstacles slowed down rescue efforts.

As fire spread through the apartment building and burst through the roof, fire crews had two major concerns – a family stuck on the roof and a woman trapped in her burning apartment.

The fire started around 4:20 a.m. in the kitchen of an Apartment 2C at 1225 49th St., at 12th Avenue, where 52-year-old Daniella Livy Stauber lives.

"My ex-wife, I was just in the hospital," said the victim's ex-husband, Sam Stauber. "She was intubated. She was a long time without any oxygen."

A firefighter on the roof was alerted to her screams. She couldn't get out due to metal bars blocking her window. FDNY Deputy Chief Peter Leicht said once they got inside, she was unconscious.

"They physically pulled her out past the fire and out the front entrance of the apartment," he said.

Stauber was in critical condition late Monday afternoon.

"We just need prayers," her ex-husband said. "We need prayers."

Nine other tenants, a family with small children, were treated for smoke inhalation. They tried the fire escape, but couldn't get past the flames below them.

"They went up instead of down," said witness Ari Weiss. "They were the last ones to get out."

Leicht said there were two major hazards in the building which could have proved to be deadly – one being immovable gates on the windows and the others being sukkahs, used for religious celebration, that were blocking the front fire escape, CBS2's Doris reported.

Four firefighters were also treated for smoke inhalation at NYU Lutheran Medical Center.

Late Monday afternoon, the Fire Marshal determined the fire was accidental, started by a malfunctioning gas heater. Firefighters also said they did not find any working smoke detectors.

The American Red Cross Greater New York is assisting the displaced families.

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