Man throws kids out of window to escape NYC blaze that injured 34

USPA News - A massive five-alarm fire tore through townhouses in New York City on early Thursday morning, injuring more than 30 people, one of them critically, and forcing a father to throw his children out of a window to allow them to escape the inferno, officials said. The fire broke out at around 1:07 a.m. local time on Thursday at 205 Chestnut Avenue in the Rosebank neighborhood of Staten Island, which is one of the five boroughs of New York City.

More than 200 firefighters responded to the blaze as it spread to engulf three town houses. A total of 34 people were injured in the fire, including 11 civilians and 23 firefighters. The conditions of those whom were injured ranged from minor to serious, with one person in critical condition due to cardiac problems, a fire department spokesman said. The injured were transported to two area hospitals, Richard University Medical Center and Staten Island University North, he said. During the five-alarm blaze, a father living in one of the townhouses was forced to throw his two children, ages 3 and 5, out of a second floor window and into the hands of a couple below. The man who had tossed the children was later rescued by firefighters, according to the New York Daily News. It was not immediately known what caused Thursday`s fire, which was brought under control at 8:46 a.m., more than 7.5 hours after the fire broke out.