SAN FRANCISCO — Two adjacent apartment buildings caught fire in the Mission District early Thursday morning. Four individuals were injured — two critically – and there were no deaths. Responding firefighters arrived on scene around 4:30 a.m. and were faced with a difficult task due to strong winds and the old, wooden structures they had to extinguish.
According to Lieutenant Karen Kerr of the SFPD, the fire appears to have started on the third floor of rear apartment, though the direct cause is still under investigation. It took about an hour to completely control the blaze, and about 33 units responded to the scene.
One man was pulled from the building with severe burns and rushed to Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, while another man who attempted to jump out of a window was in critical condition due to deep cuts and minor burns. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital.
Two women were treated by emergency crews for smoke inhalation and were in stable condition. Lieutenant Kerr also said that as of this afternoon there are no further updates on the victims. A responding firefighter who used his oxygen mask on one of the female victims was reported to also have suffered from minor smoke inhalation, though Lt. Kerr has stated that he was fine.
The Red Cross has aided the twenty-three people that have been displaced due to the fire, including those in surrounding buildings whose own apartments suffered water and other fire related damage.
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