NEW YORK >> The Fire Department of New York says 23 people, including a firefighter, are hurt following a Bronx blaze.

All of them are expected to be OK.

Investigators believe the fire started in a first-floor furniture store around 5:30 a.m. today.

Adults and children fled from the three stories of apartments above, including a man who ran outside with no shirt and no shoes. Nearby, icicles hung from power lines and ladders.

Resident Erica Ortiz told WCBS that a window guard blocked a fire escape. She says she tried to kick it open, to no avail.

Over 200 firefighters battled the blaze.

The blaze comes only days after the deadliest residential fire to hit New York City in at least a quarter-century killed 12 people in a Bronx apartment building.