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A brownstone fire quickly escalated to three alarms Wednesday night on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Some residents told WNBC.com they have been concerned for months the tragedy might happen as a result of renovations.
The flames that were sparked on the fifth floor of 319 East 90 St. shot more than 10 feet into the cold night air, casting an orange glow on the block.
It took about 150 firefighters to prevent the fire from jumping to one of the neighboring buildings that came within inches of the burning structure, and ultimately extinguish it.
"All of a sudden this terrible smoke moved in and I mean fast," Kathleen Kavaney said. "You didn't even have time to get on the floor like they tell you to do."
Neighbor Carols Velasquez said he was nearby when he realized something was wrong.
"I was watching television and the apartment was getting full of smoke," he told NewsChannel 4.
Residents ran out of their homes with what they had on them. For most residents, that meant flip flops, slippers and T-shirts. At least 17 apartments were occupied in the five-story walk-up.
As fire officials put the flames out, residents waited behind the yellow tape and wondered if they would have homes to return to.
Fire investigators are continuing to investigate a cause.
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