Two firefighters were injured on Sunday afternoon after a fire broke in a Claremont building that was supposed to be vacant.

The fire occurred on East 170th Street around 1 p.m. The entire block was shut down by fire trucks and firefighters trying to battle the blaze.

Two firefighters were taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Bishop Timothy Birkett says he wanted to buy the vacant building, but after a tour realized the place was a fire hazard.

"There's newspapers, stacks of newspapers, stacks of wood chips, and all it needed really was a match," he said.

Neighbors say that the fire could have been prevented. They say that they spoke to the property manager less than a month ago and told them there was someone inside living the vacant building, and he needed to get the squatter out.

Officials could not confirm whether someone was living in the building, but say that the cause of the fire is under investigation.