Fire broke out Thursday in a 15-story apartment building, injuring seven people and temporarily trapping several others on balconies, the city's fire department said.

All seven who were injured, including one critically, suffered smoke inhalation.

The blaze, the cause of which is not known, began around 11:20 a.m. in a cluttered 14th-story apartment of the Monroe Towers. The fire forced those living in the top three floors to flee, said Garrett Giberson, an Asbury Park fire inspector.

The apartment's occupant, Sunovia Williams, 80, was pulled out by firefighters who had to crawl over an array of debris that contributed to the intensity of the blaze and hampered efforts to reach her and her husband, Giberson said.

"You had an exorbitant amount of fuel and that's what made it difficult for the firefighters," said Giberson.

Williams was unconscious but breathing when she was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. She was later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center where she was being treated in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for high levels of carbon monoxide.

"I'm not worried about merchandise - that's no concern, that can be replaced," said Williams' neighbor, George Gaines. "It's the life. I'm wondering if they are alright."

A juvenile, whose age was not immediately available, and five firefighters also suffered smoke inhalation. The fire was under control by 2 p.m. and had not spread to lower floors. An unknown number of people have been displaced.

The building is one of the tallest buildings in Asbury Park, a community along the Atlantic Ocean. The blaze was initially too high for ladder trucks, forcing firefighters to fight the flames from inside, Asbury Park fire Capt. Frank Dilello said. He wasn't sure if the building had sprinklers, but said there were hose hookups inside.

This story was compiled with News 12 New Jersey and Associated Press information.