The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) on Friday rescued three people who were seen hanging from the windows of a burning building, video footage showed.

The FDNY responded to a call reporting a possible fire on St. Nicholas Place in Manhattan around 2:14 p.m., the department confirmed in an online statement. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found people on the building's “fire escape stairway” and another person “hanging from a fifth-floor window,” the statement said.

To rescue the victims hanging from the windows, firefighters used “life ropes” to climb up the side of the building, grab each victim and lower them to the ground. The FDNY confirmed that the operation was successfully carried out by three firefighters, who each rescued three different people.

“Normally we have one fire every year or two, but this time we had three fires in one fire,” said FDNY Director John Hodgens. “Meanwhile, the engine company was being relocated to the third floor. Heavy flames burst out of the fireproof apartment into the hallway. The flames blocked the exit path for residents who were trying to escape down the stairs. As the engine company moved in to extinguish the fire, members of Ladder Company went to the upper floor where they found the three victims unconscious.

Video footage posted on X (formerly Twitter) showed a different angle to the incident, showing the victims fighting for their lives just before firefighters rescued them. The camera zooms out to show two people trying to help someone hanging from a window ledge, showing the height of the building.

JUST IN: Heroic firefighters rescue three people dangling from a single rope from a burning building in New York City.

Hero 🔥🔥

The incident occurred at a six-story apartment building in Harlem, and residents were forced to escape through a window.

Unfortunately, not everyone made it… pic.twitter.com/6U6o5OJH9E

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 24, 2024

Emergency medical services (EMS) at the scene treated 18 patients, and 12 were transported to local hospitals, the statement said. Five of the 12 patients were in critical condition, but one victim succumbed to his injuries on arrival at the hospital, ED Chief Michael Fields said in a statement.

“Paramedics did an incredible job in firefighting efforts to extricate the patient, prolonging his life, and transporting him to an area hospital for continued treatment,” Fields said.

Officials said the cause of the fire is currently unknown and under investigation.