NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Twelve people were hurt, four critically, in a fire that tore through an apartment building in the Bronx on Tuesday morning, the FDNY said.
The blaze broke out inside a Sotomayor Houses building at 1720 Watson Ave., near Rosedale Avenue, in the Soundview section of the Bronx late Tuesday morning, the department said.
Firefighters responding to the scene discovered several people calling for help from inside the building as heavy smoke and flames billowed through the windows, the FDNY said.
"The fire units were operating feverishly to make their rescues," FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Paul Miano said in a statement. "As soon as they were able to get those patients out of the building, they turned them over to EMS, where we provided some advanced life support care."
Four people rescued from the building were hospitalized in critical condition, the department said. Eight others were treated for less serious injuries.
A 4-year-old boy was among the four people who were critically hurt, ABC7 reported.
It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the blaze. An investigation is ongoing.
