Nun forced to leap out of window after Staten Island convent fire

A 45-year-old nun was forced to jump out of a window to escape a fire at the St. Joseph Hill Convent in Staten Island, a blaze that authorities are treating as "suspicious." 

The fire at the convent began at 5:30 AM, reports the Associated Press, and was under control about an hour later, after a swift response from fire crews. 

Sister Regina Geric leapt from the convent window and was taken to the Staten Island University Hospital with serious spinal injuries, reports WABC-TV New York, while another nun was treated at the scene. 

Geric remains in the intensive care unit of the hospital, according to Staten Island Live, which added that the FDNY is treating the blaze as suspicious. 

Four firefighters were injured as they fought the fire, added WABC-TV, while over 100 responded to the scene of the incident. The convent rests on the grounds of the St Joseph Hill Academy, which teaches children from kindergarten through to the 12th grade. 

The St. Joseph Hill Convent was trashed by youths over the course of two days before the nuns took occupancy in August, reports Staten Island Live. No connection between the two incidents has been made.