Officials say one person is in critical condition and two people were seriously injured after a fire at an apartment building in Freeport.
Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro says 100 firefighters responded to 1 Jay St. after a passerby saw smoke in the area
The fire broke out around 6 a.m. Freeport, Baldwin, Merrick, Roosevelt, South Hempstead, Uniondale and Rockville Centre fire departments responded to the scene.
Resident Crystal Gause said she and her four kids, along with her 76-year-old mom, climbed the fire escape to the roof and crossed the roof to another fire escape to get to safety. Gause told News 12, “I didn’t know what to do, it was so scary.”
Uttaro said a total of 10 people were transported to the hospital, three of them children.
Freeport firefighter Steve Palermo broke through glass to rescue a man in a basement apartment. He said the victim was located in a tight space, and they had to maneuver him to get him out.
Uttaro told News 12 the owner of the building has been issued violations for missing and non-working smoke detectors.