Six people - including four children - were killed in a horror blaze as neighbours heard the victims' desperate cries for help as they watched helplessly from the street.
The six victims of the apparently accidental fire were two young girls, two young boys, a man and a woman all believed to be from the same family.
Flames erupted on the fifth floor of the apartment building in Harlem in New York and spread rapidly while residents were asleep in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Firefighters raced to the seven-storey building at about 1.40am local time and spent about two hours battling the inferno before finding the bodies.
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Horrifying video posted online shows entire rooms ablaze on the upper floors as huge flames shoot out of windows and smoke billows into the air.
Abdul Salaam, 25, who called 911 to report the blaze, said he heard the chilling screams of children inside the Frederick E Samuel Apartments, which are run by the New York City Housing Authority.
He told the New York Post: “As soon as I saw the flames it was literally in one apartment.
"I heard glass breaking, kids yelling."
He added: “As the fire is spreading I heard actual voices screaming. They were clearly in fear for their lives.”
Unaware that six people had been killed, shocked witnesses are heard discussing the overnight blaze as it is captured on mobile phone video.
As firefighters desperately try to extinguish the flames, a neighbour says: "Look at all that damage."
The sound of glass breaking is heard as smoke fills the air, and the man adds: "Oh my God, you can smell that s*** from here.
"I think they're breaking all the windows in the apartment."
After the bulk of the flames are extinguished in the corner flat, firefighters' torches are seen in the smoke-filled rooms.
A woman says: "I hope everybody got out."
The man adds: "This s*** is scary. You can see the burn marks on the building, from those the three floors."
"Imagine how many people are asleep right now."
The victims' bodies were found as firefighters went through the building after extinguishing the flames.
All six are believed to be family members.
At least two other people were injured.
The fire appears to be an accident, but a full investigation is under way, said police.
It is the deadliest fire in New York City since 13 people were killed in a blaze in the Bronx in December 2017 - a fire that was started by a toddler playing with a stove.
