UPDATE: Massive Williamsburg Apartment Fire Kills 2

Photo via ‏@suchvillainy/Twitter

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — A massive apartment fire at Richardson and Lorimer Streets near McCarren Park in the wee hours on Monday killed two people inside the building, according to city police and fire officials.

The fire at 30 Richardson St. broke out around 1:30 a.m. and ran through five alarms before firefighters got it under control hours later, around 4:45 am., fire officials said.

“During a search of the building, an unidentified adult victim was discovered on the second floor,” police said in a statement issued early Monday morning. “EMS responded and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”

Late Monday morning, another body was pulled from the ashes, according to the New York Times.

Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Clifford told the Times that witnesses said they had seen the second victim initially escaped, then re-enter the building while it was still on fire.

From the Times:

At one point, Deputy Chief Clifford said the fire became so large that firefighters inside were ordered to retreat — a painful decision, because he knew that someone was inside.

“It started coming out the windows and we pulled them out. The risk-reward wasn’t there,” he said. “It is not a good feeling. When you know that she’s in there, and then you see the place engulfed in fire. It’s disheartening.”

Of the 198 firefighters it took to beat back the flames, two were treated for minor injuries, a spokesman for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) told Patch.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the NYPD and FDNY.

Nearby residents reported on Twitter that they heard a large explosion before flames started leaping from the building.

The first, second and third floors of 30 Richardson were gutted by the fire, according to the FDNY. The building next door was also partially burned, reports said.

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates.