US:53 hurt in apartment block blaze

Up to 53 people were injured, including 14 firefighters, in a blaze at an apartment building in New York, authorities in the US said today.

Officials said five civilians were seriously injured, and two men remained in a critical condition early today.

Firefighters carried people down ladders to rescue them from the 17-storey building, where the blaze was reported on the first floor shortly before 9pm last night (midnight Irish time). Crews worked for more than 90 minutes to get the flames under control.

The total number of injuries was unclear, as firefighters reported 39 civilian injuries and police 29. Firefighters said five people were treated at the scene and the rest were taken to various hospitals.

The Fire Department said 14 firefighters were hurt, none of them seriously.

The blaze was not being treated as suspicious, police said.