A five-alarm fire that destroyed a Brooklyn matzo factory Wednesday morning also left four people hurt, including a New York City firefighter.

The fire broke out just before 2 a.m. at 36th Street near 13th Avenue in Kensington. 

2-year-old child, firefighter among 4 injured in fire

The FDNY was on the scene within four minutes. 

"Our units encountered a heavy fire in the rear of the bakery," FDNY Assistant Chief Mike Woods said.

While initially it appeared the main body of fire was knocked down and firefighters were tackling hotspots, by 7 a.m., it had flared back up, with large columns of flame visible as firefighters poured water on it. Chopper 2 was live over the scene, where thick clouds of smoke could be seen billowing into the air. 

"About a half hour into the fire, there was a collapse of the rear portion," Woods said. "It trapped one of our members, but we were quickly able to extricate that member from the scene."

Woods said the firefighter suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized with burns to his hands. He's said to be in stable condition. 

Officials said three civilians from a neighboring building, including a 2-year-old child, were also injured and treated for smoke inhalation. 

The fire eventually grew to five alarms, and firefighters battled it for nearly nine hours. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

"It's hard to see it gone in flames"

Neighbors called the fire a "catastrophe."

"It looks like ashes in the street," witness Ismail Cekic said, adding, "It's really sickening. It's scary, also. This looks like a warzone. I can't believe it."

"It's really hard to digest," neighbor Chaim Herman said.

Members of the neighborhood are already feeling the void left from the decades-old community staple.

"It's a mitzvah, you know," Herman said. "A mitzvah means like a thing that God sends us to do, and this is where we make it and it's hard to see it gone in flames."

"Here is when the time starts when everyone has it and a lot of people need it," neighbor Chaim Yaakov said, "and it's very important for the community, so it's a big loss."

Gne Pinsky has been manager of the auto repair shop next door to the bakery since 1998. The fire also claimed his business.

"We cannot serve the community," he said. "I do not know when I'll be back to business. And my neighbor also served the community. I don't know."