MALONE, N.Y. -- A fire that broke out just before 4 p.m. Tuesday took firefighters in Malone several hours to get under control.

When firefighters arrived on the scene on Main Street, flames were shooting out of the roof of the apartment building. One person had to be rescued from a second floor apartment. The person was taken to Alice Hyde Hospital. Their condition is unknown.

The fire also sent a firefighter to the hospital with a hand injury.

Fire officials say the structure's balloon frame construction was part of the reason the fire spread so quickly.

"It got into the walls and spread up and down. Both ways in the structure, up into the attic and then from the attic to the main part of the house. It's a labor intensive overhaul operation," said Malone Fire Chief Brian Gokey.

Fire crews were called in from Franklin and Clinton counties.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.