ENGLEWOOD – As flames advanced toward her, blocking the only exit in her apartment, 58-year-old Shirley Buckner did the only thing she could do.

She dived out of her bedroom window.

About 6 feet below in the courtyard of her Williams Street apartment, firefighters and rescue workers rushed to her side, said Fire Chief Robert Moran.

"She didn't want to be in there," Moran said. "She actually dove out of the window."

Buckner, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was taken to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. She was the only person hurt during a three-alarm blaze Monday that forced the evacuation of a 32-unit apartment building.

About 45 firefighters responded to the fire, which began at around 7:40 a.m. When firefighters arrived about a minute later, flames lapped from the first to the second floor, spewing thick, black smoke that was visible for miles, Moran said.

The fire chief said rescue workers went door to door searching each apartment to make sure all had evacuated safely.

Firefighters from six towns -- including Leonia, Teaneck and Fort Lee -- brought the fire under control in about 45 minutes, Moran said.

Two apartments, Buckner's and the apartment above hers, were deemed uninhabitable, but the rest of the tenants were allowed back in the building, Moran said.

An investigation showed that the fire was accidental, caused by electrical problems.

E-mail: salazar@northjersey.com