15 are injured in uptown inferno

AT LEAST 15 people were injured Monday in a massive fire in a Washington Heights apartment building, FDNY officials said.

The blaze broke out just after 1 p.m. on the second floor of a six-story, 133-unit building on Riverside Drive near W. 156th St.

The fire started in a kitchen appliance, then spread through the building’s dumbwaiter shaft to a loft between the top floor and the roof, FDNY Commissoner Daniel Nigro said.

Fifteen people, including seven first responders, suffered minor injuries, according to the FDNY.

Sandra Davis, 38, said she noticed the smoke and rushed out.

“I saw it coming up through the floor,” she said. “I'm on the fourth floor, on the same line where the fire started. I’m hoping everyone’s OK.”

She added,“All the people I care about, they're alive and that's all that matters in this day.”

Mary Grant, an older woman wrapped in a Red Cross blanket, was on the second floor.

“I was in my apartment and my aide opened the door and there was just a lot of smoke,” she said. “I’m around the corner from where the fire started. We heard the smoke detectors around the corner. But the smoke detectors in my apartment did not go off.”

About 200 firefighters rushed to the scene. Firefighters evacuated all five buildings in the complex, officials said.