Crews reportedly found two floors engulfed in Brooklyn fire

Six other civilians were hurt, two critically, plus three firefighters

Emergency responders reportedly discovered on their arrival that the building’s first and second floors had been engulfed by flames, BBC News reported. The New York City Fire Department said six people died after the large fire broke out in the residential building in Brooklyn early on Thursday morning, and that several others were hurt.

More than 230 fire and emergency medical personnel were sent to the scene near Sunset Park after the fire was first reported at around 01:40 local time, or 06:40 GMT, according to the department’s statement.

The FDNY said the bodies of four of those who died were found at the scene. Two others were found in a critical condition and later died.

U.S. media reports varied on whether those two died in hospital, or while they were being taken there, BBC News reported.

Beyond the dead, six other civilians were injured, two of them critically, along with three firefighters, the FDNY said.

A crew specializing in hazardous materials was also sent to the scene because of the presence of a lithium-ion battery, although it was not clear whether this was linked to the blaze.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, the department said.

Fire and emergency medical personnel were sent to the scene near Sunset Park, where the fire was reported in the earliest hours of Thursday morning.