A fire in New York City's Marble Hill neighborhood tore through an apartment building and forced dozens of people out of their homes overnight. 

Seven people, including three firefighters, were injured. 

Flames engulfed the roof as firefighters spent hours battling the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the six-story building on Jacobus Place and Fort Charles Place. 

The FDNY sent about 140 firefighters and EMS workers to the scene around midnight Monday after a fire started on the fifth floor.

First responders dealt with intense heat, among other challenges, officials said. 

Residents watched in disbelief as the fire engulfed the roof. 

"It kept getting stronger and stronger so I called 911," one resident said. 

Several residents said they grabbed their most important documents and rushed outside when they heard about the fire. 

"We heard loud bangs on our door and we just came out, and all of us ran downstairs. We saw all of our neighbors downstairs, and then we saw the sixth-floor fire," one woman said. 

Karil Garcia said she was reading the bible when a neighbor notified her of the fire. She fought back tears as she watched firefighters battle the three-alarm fire. 

"You never expect things like that, and I'm emotional," Garcia said. "There is a lot of water. My apartment is a mess. The ceiling went down and my desk, the computer, the social security was on my desk, the passports that I was renewing. That is a mess right now." 

"It was scary. It was shocking. I never experienced anything like that before," another resident said. 

"Everything is ruined," Garcia added. 

The Red Cross said it was helping 10 households, including 21 adults and eight children, find temporary housing. The building has a total of 33 units. 

Earlier, the Red Cross was handing out water and coffee to the residents waiting outside. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.