Updated 07/07/2010 10:34 PM
Five-Alarm Apartment Fire Roars In Bayside
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The heat took its toll on city firefighters Wednesday as crews battled a fire at a seven-story building at Bell Boulevard and 23rd Avenue in Bayside, Queens.
It broke out shortly before 3 p.m.
Flames were seen coming off the roof of the building.
Four apartments were heavily damaged.
Firefighters say the heat made the fire even more difficult to fight.
"You gotta imagine firefighters are walking approximately walking two blocks with 100 pounds of gear. Then walking up seven flights of stairs. By the time they get to the seventh floor, their bodies are already taxed by the heat," said New York City Firefighter Sean Johnson.
The Red Cross moved residents to a local library to keep them cool.
More than a dozen firefighters were treated or removed for heat exhaustion.
Seven civilians were also injured.
Firefighters from Brooklyn and the Bronx were called in to relieve the Queens fire companies.