Several firefighters were injured while battling a blaze in Queens, N.Y. (iStock)
A massive fire at a New York City strip mall erupted early Thursday and left at least 11 people injured, including six firefighters, officials said.
The four-alarm blaze broke out at a Queens strip mall at around 2 a.m., according to New York's WNBC-TV. The fire started somewhere near the first floor of the building and quickly spread, fire officials said.
More than 160 firefighters responded to the fire as it quickly engulfed a restaurant, lingerie store and hardware store, the station reported.
One witness reported seeing a fireball as firefighters were getting out of one of the buildings.
“I saw three firefighters just on the ground on Queens Boulevard, they flew out of the basement, and I saw one of the guys picked up his helmet and he ran back there to do his job. I was terrified,” the witness told New York's WABC-TV.
All 11 people suffered minor injuries from the fire. Officials have warned nearby residents to avoid the area as firefighters continue to douse the flames. It was unclear how the fire started.
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