Three people were hospitalized after a four-alarm fire broke out late Saturday night at an apartment building on Caryl Avenue in Yonkers.
Yonkers Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Citrone said they first got a call about the fire around 10:19 p.m. and nearly 90 firefighters responded.
Citrone said the fire started in a third-floor apartment and spread up to the fourth floor. The blaze surprised some tenants who were at home when it began.
"I heard someone say 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe’ – so 911 was called immediately and then it was chaos after that," a tenant said.
Citrone said it was unclear how the fire started in the apartment, but it resulted in the rescue of three individuals.
He said one woman they rescued was trapped and crews performed CPR on her.
Other tenants evacuated.
"I just heard...nervousness, not even so much a panic, you just knew something [was going on] out of the ordinary," a tenant said.
According to the deputy fire chief, the department also rescued some cats in the building and two firefighters sustained minor injuries from their efforts as well.
A representative from the Red Cross said any residents who are displaced can take emergency shelter at the Peter Chema Sr. Community Center.