A building in Inwood, Manhattan that was gutted in a early Wednesday fire will have to be demolished after being deemed unsafe.

More than a hundred firefighters were called to the commercial building located at 4945 Broadway by 207th Street in Inwood.

Investigators say the fire started on the first floor just after 11 p.m. Tuesday and quickly spread.

It took crews four hours to bring the fire under control.

Much of the water used to battle the flames froze, leaving many of the charred remains covered in ice.

Officials say the frigid weather made it harder for firefighters to work.

"The men move slower because they're all bundled up. Water, when it gets frozen, it gets on the ground and sometimes you don't even see it, it's like black ice. Of course you can't move. The lines, they freeze, they get stiff. It's a challenge," said FDNY Chief Thomas Jemmott.

A number of businesses operated inside the building including two banks, law offices, a pharmacy and other stores.

"It's unfortunate, because just starting the new year, and so forth. Probably extensive damage has been done on the first floor," said laundromat owner Nader Tahmasebi.

There was also concern about the fate of animals inside a pet store in the building.

"I mean, I saw it on NY1 and I ran down. I don't know what happened to them. It's a bad way to go," said one witness at the scene.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

By late Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Buildings deemed the site of the fire to be structurally unstable and the owner's contractor was asked to demolish the building.