Firefighter (stock image)
Firefighter (stock image)iStock

Six people were killed early Wednesday morning when a fire broke out in an apartment building in Harlem in New York.

Four of the victims have been identified as children – two boys and two girls – the FDNY said Wednesday. A man and a woman were also killed in the fire. The victims were all declared dead at the scene of the fire. Firefighters discovered the victims’ bodies after the fire was extinguished.

The blaze erupted inside a housing unit on the fifth floor of the Frederick E. Samuel Apartments building on Seventh Avenue near 142 Street at approximately 1:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Firefighters were quickly called to the scene, and managed to contain the blaze after roughly two hours.

“As soon as I saw the flames it was literally in one apartment. They were as vibrant and destructive as possible. It wasn’t pretty. I heard glass breaking, kids yelling,” said one witness, 25-year-old Abdul Salaam, the New York Post reported.

“As the fire is spreading I heard actual voices screaming,” he added. “They were clearly in fear for their lives.”

Authorities say the fire appears to be the result of an accident, though fire officials are investigating the incident.