Seven people were injured after a fire broke out inside a high-rise hotel being built steps away from Times Square in Midtown Manhattan on Monday.

The fire was reported just after 10.20am local time on the 10th floor of the 49-story tower at 145 West 47th Street, around the corner from the News Corp headquarters and a few blocks away from Rockefeller Center.

The under-construction building was planned to house the new Hotel Riu Manhattan Plaza Times Square.

A spokesperson for the Fire Department of New York told the Daily Mail that about 78 firefighters responded to the scene and spent nearly an hour battling the flames before getting the blaze under control.

Five of the seven who were injured required hospitalization, while the other two were treated at the scene by paramedics, according to the FDNY.

Photos and video from the scene showed thick black smoke rising from the building into a grey Manhattan skyline.

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.  

This is a breaking news story, check back for updates…

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