3 killed, multiple critically injured in Inwood apartment fire

NEW YORK - An overnight fire tore through an apartment building in Upper Manhattan, killing at least three people and leaving several others fighting for their lives.

What we know:

The flames broke out just before 12:30 a.m. inside a six-story mixed-use building on Dycker Street near Broadway in Inwood, according to the FDNY. The fire quickly escalated to a three-alarm response.

What they're saying:

Fire officials say the blaze started on the second floor, but smoke and flames spread rapidly throughout the building — a situation the fire commissioner said was made worse by apartment doors left open.

3 dead, 5 in critical condition

At least three people were killed. Five others remain in critical condition at area hospitals. 

Four additional residents suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and one firefighter was treated for minor injuries.

100 residents displaced

Roughly 100 residents have been displaced. The Red Cross responded to the scene, providing blankets and assistance to those forced out of their homes.

Residents described chaotic and terrifying moments as they scrambled to escape. Several said they were forced to use fire escapes after interior stairwells became impassable.

The backstory:

"We were woken up from smoke and people screaming," one resident said. "We opened the door and saw black smoke as far as you can see… we had to go out the fire escape."

Another resident said the main stairwell was too hot to use. "I turned around and decided to take the fire escape… it was really, really hot — pretty much walking through flames at that point."

A grandmother who lives on the fifth floor said neighbors banged on her door after alarms sounded, prompting her to grab her grandchildren and flee via the fire escape — the only way out.

What we don't know:

Officials say the cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

The identities of the three victims have not yet been released.