The mayor's office says at least 12 people, including a baby, have died in a massive fire at a Prospect Avenue apartment building near the Bronx Zoo.

More people were seriously injured in the fire, which sparked before 7 p.m. on the first floor of a five-story building, according to authorities.

There were at least 175 firefighters on the scene initially, officials said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro arrived at the scene, to deliver grim news. Nigro described the fire as "historic in its magnitude" due to the high death toll.