A fire broke out on the second floor of an apartment building in Manhattan on Friday, forcing residents to evacuate and prompting authorities to call an emergency.

The blaze began on the fifth floor, located in the Queens borough of New York City, around 11.40am local time (10.40pm ET), and spread rapidly, according to the New York Fire Department.

“This building is at a high level of fire risk and has been the target of multiple arson attempts in the past few months,” a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement.

“The building was evacuated, and the residents of the building have been advised to evacuate.”

The blaze was contained around 10:00am local (12:00pm ET).

Firefighters from the New Yorker Fire Department and the New Hampshire Division of Emergency Management and Emergency Services were on the scene.

Firefighters also responded to the building, according the New Haven Register.

Residents of the six-story building have not been evacuated, but the building has been placed under a temporary fire ban until further notice.

The fire was contained to the fifth-floor, and no one was injured, the New Yorkers fire department said.

“Our investigation is still underway and the fire remains under investigation, and we will continue to provide updates as they become available,” the fire department added.

Al Jazeera’s David Brin, reporting from New York, said that the building was one of the city’s tallest residential towers.

“I have not heard anything from the building’s owners, but they are being careful to make sure it’s safe for everyone to go,” he said.

According to the fire service, the fire started in a garbage can near a vent on the sixth floor, where a “mixed bag” of trash and recyclables was being stacked.

“Residents have been told to evacuate,” a department spokesperson said.

Residents told local news site WCBS that the fire broke in around 8:00 am local time, and flames began to spread to the roof of the sixth-floor apartment building.

“We’re going to get out of here,” a resident told the station.

The building is currently under a fire ban.

Firefighting efforts were underway at the scene, and it is unclear whether or not the fire is contained.