Harlem Fire Kills 6, Including 4 Children

Six people, including four children, were killed early Wednesday when a fire swept through an apartment in a city-owned building in Harlem.

The fire was reported at 1:39 a.m. at 2441 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in the Frederick E. Samuel Houses, the Fire Department said.

Cellphone video footage showed flames and thick smoke shooting from the windows of the apartment in the 109-year-old building at the corner of West 142nd Street. The Fire Department sent 65 firefighters to the scene.

The fire commissioner, Daniel A. Nigro, said that when firefighters started moving toward the apartment on the fifth floor where the blaze appeared to have originated, “The fire met them at the front door.”

They found the six victims — two adults and four children ages 3 to 11 — unconscious in bedrooms at the back of the apartment.

“Every bit of that apartment had fire damage,” Mr. Nigro said.

The victims were pronounced dead when Emergency Medical Service technicians arrived a short time later, the police said. Their names have not been released.

Three other people suffered minor injuries when the building was being evacuated.

One resident, Geraldo Morales, told WABC-TV that he had been awakened by a loud noise like an explosion and fled down the fire escape. Others described a harrowing run to safety as they raced down smoke-filled stairways.

Firefighters declared the blaze under control at 3:19 a.m. By sunrise, the damage was apparent from the street. The upper corner of the building was scarred by black streaks. Television reports showed neighbors standing in a circle, praying for the victims.

The Police Department said the fire did not appear to be suspicious, and the Fire Department said it was not clear whether smoke detectors were in the apartment.

More than 1,400 people live in Frederick E. Samuel Houses, which are operated by the New York City Housing Authority. The buildings are five to seven stories high.

Luis Ferré-Sadurní contributed reporting.