Manhattan high-rise fire injures 45, three seriously

NEW YORK (AP) - New York firefighters say a blaze that burst through windows in a Manhattan apartment building sent 45 people to hospitals, 30 of them firefighters.

The Fire Department says two civilians have life-threatening injuries, and a third is seriously hurt. All the other victims' injuries are considered minor.

Investigators are working to determine what started the three-alarm blaze Thursday evening. It began on the third floor of a 26-story apartment building on Grand Street, on the Lower East Side.

Firefighters and residents say dense, black smoke seeped through the building, making it hard to breathe. Deputy New York Fire Chief James Daley says two firefighters became disoriented in a burning apartment but were able to escape.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)