India, Aug. 15 -- A massive fire erupted Friday at a seven-story apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side. According to Daily Mail, witnesses reported what sounded like an explosion just before flames and smoke filled the air.

"I heard an explosion from my building just opposite the fire, and looked outside and saw all the smoke in the skies," Joann Sowma told Daily Mail.

Videos from the scene show firefighters battling intense flames on the building's rooftop as thick black smoke billowed into the skyline.

According to ABC 7, the third-alarm fire was sparked by a buildup of gas in the building's basement. The building's superintendent was in the basement at the time of the incident and is currently being treated for a minor i...