An overnight fire in Brooklyn has killed one person and left at least eight others dead, authorities say.
According to ABC 7, the fire-alarm blaze broke out at a Prospect Heights hardware store around 3:30 a.m. before setting the three apartments atop it on blaze, as well. The New York Daily News reports that Bassan Awad, who owned a deli store down the street from the fire, died after jumping out of a fourth-floor window in an attempt to escape the flames.
ABC 7 added that the injured were taken to area hospitals:
One person was taken to Kings County Hospital in critical condition. Eight people were injured, including two who suffered serious burns and were taken to the Cornell burn unit at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and two people who were treated for minor injuries at the scene. Two police officers who rushed in to help also were hurt.
Roughly 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, and the Daily News notes that its origin is still unknown at the time.
[via ABC 7 and New York Daily News]
