A fire tore through a luxury Greenwich Village apartment building on Wednesday after an 'explosion' on the sixth floor.

Plumes of smoke billowed from The Hamilton at 60 East 9th street after the blast at around 5.45pm.

Forty-four FDNY vehicles raced to the scene and hoisted fire fighters on to the roof to tackle the blaze from above.

Nearly 200 fire fighters and EMTs responded to the situation. It is not yet clear how exactly the fire was started or if anyone has been hurt. Stretchers were seen being brought in to the building but none brought injured residents.

Hundreds of residents were displaced as a result of the damage. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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Smoke billowed from the sixth floor of The Hamilton, a luxury co-op apartment building on Manhattan's East 9th street on Wednesday as fire fighters battled to contain a blaze

Fire fighters entered the building through the roof, where the fire was initially reported

Fire fighters used hoses to battle the blaze on the roof as trucks gathered on the ground. They were filmed by people in surrounding high rise buildings who sent footage to Spectrum News NY 1

The entire building was being evacuated on Wednesday night.

A source inside earlier told DailyMail.com the explosion happened on the sixth floor and said fire crews were trying the flames.

It is understood to have occupied the entirety of the top floor - which is spread over two wings - and the building's attic.

Fire fighters were seen punching through windows on the top floors of the building to allow some of the heat to escape.

Crowds cheered and gasped as glass from the upper windows shattered. The smell of burning materials wafted in to office buildings surrounding the area.

Fire fighters on the ground extended the safety perimeter numerous times as they continued to work at the scene on Wednesday afternoon.

The 8th street subway station which services the N, Q, R, and W lines, was closed shortly after the incident as was Astor Place which services the 6 train.

There was an extraordinary response from the FDNY which sent 44 units and 198 employees to the scene

Fire fighters were hoisted on to the top of the building on ladders and worked from above

Most of the smoke appeared to come from the furthest west apartment on the top floor

A fire fighter climbs up the fire escape ladder outside Famous Familiga Pizza to join colleagues who were battling the blaze further up the building

198 FDNY fire fighters and EMTs descended on the scene with 44 fire units

The enormous emergency service response sparked worry on the streets as to how serious the fire was

Fire fighters were seen wheeling one stretcher with medical equipment in to the building but no one was seen leaving on it

The fire was initially feared to have begun in Famous Famiglia Pizza, a large pizza shop on the corner of East 8th Street and Broadway

The fire was initially reported in the top floor of 60 East 9th Street but is feared to have spread to the other wing of the H-shaped building. Fire crews gathered on the corner of Broadway and East 8th street towards the rear of the apartment building and set up outside Duane Reade and Famous Famiglia Pizzeria. The nearby 8th Street subway station has been closed

The NYPD also flocked to the scene to assist. The safety perimeter expanded as fire fighters worked at the scene

A dog was rescued from one of the apartments and was reunited with its frantically worried owner outside on the street

Apartments in the building range from $525,000 studios to two-bedroom units costing $1.25million.

Initial reports indicated that the blaze may have started in Famous Famiglia Pizza next door.

The building's occupants were hurriedly evacuated and none are believed to have been hurt.

Many were displaced. It is not known whether anyone has yet been allowed back in to the building.

The Red Cross rushed to the scene with emergency supplies of water to help those affected.

They set up a shelter in a nearby NYU building for displaced residents to recuperate.

The dramatic scene attracted crowds of bystanders who watched, covering their mouths and noses from the smoke as fire fighters worked

The smoke filled the surrounding streets, making it difficult to see and breathe. It did not deter curious crowds from gathering behind police lines