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(NEW YORK) Flames shot out of the upper floors and roof of a parking garage in lower Manhattan and sent smoke into the nearby subway station Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The fire erupted on the fifth floor of the six-story building at 7:28 a.m., and spread to a fourth alarm at 9:33 a.m., sending 168 firefighters and 39 pieces of fire equipment to the scene at 15th Street between Ninth and 10th avenues in Chelsea.
The fire was declared under control nearly six hours later, at 1:20 p.m., the department said.
Six firefighters were hurt, two suffered minor burns and three had back injuries, the Fire Department said. The nature of the sixth injury was not immediately known.
Fire Chief Peter Hayden said firefighters went inside the building but withdrew because of fears of exploding gas tanks on vehicles in the garage.
Eyewitnesses said explosions of cars' gas tanks could be heard outside. It was not clear if the parking garage was full.
The smoke could be smelled inside a flower shop across the street at the Chelsea Market four hours after the blaze started.
A florist worker, Calvin Powell, 46, said the business' fleet of delivery vehicles was in the garage, and ``I know for a fact we don't have any vans'' after the fire.
Subways bypassed the 14th Street Eighth Avenue station for about 15 minutes because of smoke, affecting the A, C and E lines, NYC Transit said.
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