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5 firefighters hurt battling raging Chinatown fire

Firefighters hurt battling raging Chinatown fire 00:55

NEW YORK -- Five firefighters were hurt battling a raging fire in Chinatown early Sunday morning.

Video from the scene overnight shows intense flames and smoke inside a four-story building in Chatham Square near Mott Street.

The fire started just before midnight Sunday on the first floor, which houses the Dim Sum Palace Restaurant. The fire quickly spread throughout the rest of the building.

Fire officials said the conditions were challenging.

"Some of the big issue was there was a tremendous volume of fire. In a lot of these buildings, in a lot of these older buildings, there's a lot of concealed spaces that fire can travel. As much water and fire, you know volume, that we bring to the scene, it can be very, very difficult to open up and extinguish," said FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Currao.

The injured firefighters are expected to be OK. Nearly 200 responded to the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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