The fire was under control by 3:45 p.m. Sunday.
Videos have surfaced on social media showing two separate fires blazing through South Williamsburg and Brownsville, the two residential neighbourhoods in New York City on Sunday, New York Post reported.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said the Brownsville fire started around 11 a.m. on the 11th floor of a 14-story Livonia Avenue building. Firefighters responded to the scene and found three children, ages 4, 5, and 8, alone and unconscious inside the building after they broke down the door.
Another five-alarm fire broke out on Lee Avenue in Williamsburg, leaving at least 10 firefighters injured after they tried to control the blaze.
Officials say the flames appeared to start in a chocolate shop and spread to at least 9 nearby retail stores, severely damaging them and sending plumes of smoke into the sky.
Watch the videos here:
New York City Councilmember Lincoln Restler showed a video of some of the damage caused by the fire.
"Tragic day in the heart of South Williamsburg. 5 alarm fire has destroyed several beloved local businesses on Lee Ave. Spoke to 3 of the business owners & property owner and we will do everything we can to help each and every business and their workers get back on their feet," he wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the children were hospitalised in stable-but-critical condition and their father, 39-year-old Anthony Halliburton, is facing three counts each of abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
During a press conference, Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh noted that their apartment had no smoke alarms. “The circumstances are under investigation as to why they were home alone,” she said.
She also added that 10 crew members who were injured are listed in stable condition, and "everyone is going to be OK."
The fire was under control by 3:45 p.m. Sunday.