Three San Francisco firefighters were injured Wednesday morning while responding to a three-alarm fire in the Marina District.
All are in stable condition, according to Fire Chief Dean Crispen.
The firefighters were among 150 battling a blaze that broke out in a building under construction on the 2500 block of Chestnut Street shortly before 5 a.m.
“One firefighter fell through a floor from the third floor to the second, and then a second fire[fighter] fell through another hole in the floor,” Cripsen told reporters on the scene.
A third was injured during a “salvage and overhaul” operation to try to mitigate property damage and loss after the fire was contained at 7 a.m.
Fire crews arrived around 5 a.m. to heavy fire coming from the second floor of a three-story building. It spread quickly to the third floor and neighboring residences, Crispen said.
“Both buildings are wood-framed abutted against each other, so the fire moved very rapidly,” he said.
“The building being under construction may have led to the fire getting more advanced than normal,” he said. “Uncovered walls, active plumbing and electrical work being done can pose a lot of danger to our firefighters.”
Two three-story residences directly to the fire’s right and left were evacuated and sustained damage as fire crews had to break open their wooden walls to identify fire expansion. The fire spread significantly into the building to the left, and slightly into the one on the right, Crispen said.
Four people were displaced.
The department’s arson unit is investigating the fire, but the cause is still unknown.
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