An Irvington apartment building was evacuated on Monday because of a fire.

The fire started around 3 p.m. at 64 Union Street. The Irvington fire chief tells says authorities received a call that a smoke alarm was going off on the fourth floor. The fire then spread to the fifth floor.

Firefighters rescued some of the residents from fire escapes on the higher floors, but most were able to get themselves out.

Chief Anthony Gary says that because of the type of building and the number of people who lived there, it was a difficult fire to fight.

“The one thing we are happy about is the initial call was a smoke detector or fire alarm - so it did its job to notify the residents and if that didn’t happen, we could have had a totally different outcome,” Gary says.

Resident Cliff Crosby was asleep when the alarm went off.

“Then smoke came through the floor and everything, so I ran out and I went over to her house to help get kids out,” Crosby says.

Fire officials say that one person suffered smoke inhalation. No one else was hurt.

“Happy none of the children got hurt and we were all able to get out,” says resident Charlene McMullin.

McMullin was at work when the fire started and just has the clothes on her back. She says she has no idea when she might back into the building.

The American Red Cross is helping those who were displaced.