Officials say a fire swept through a Hempstead apartment building on Sunday, leaving one person in critical condition and several more injured.

They say the fire started on the second floor of the Hayse House apartment building on Sealey Avenue just after 12 p.m.

One woman in the apartment News 12 was told was severely burned as the fire quickly spread through the building, which forced 150 people to escape into the bitter cold.

“I was taking a nap and I woke up with my mom screaming like she's having a panic attack yelling ‘Fire Fire Fire!’,” said apartment resident Freey Cifuentes.

Cifuentes said he grabbed his cat and ran out of the building on Sealey Avenue which he says was filling with smoke. He acknowledged some people jumped out of windows to escape the smoke.

“It’s a horrific event especially on Christmas Day,” said Hempstead Village Mayor Wayland Hobbes.

Hobbes added residents will be taken care of, many of whom were sheltering temporarily across the street at a Salvation Army building.

“Right now, we're looking to close 20 to 30 people who are going to be displaced,” said Hobbes.