A fire tore through two wood-frame buildings on Chestnut Street in the Marina District early Wednesday morning, injuring two firefighters who fell through floors as they combated the blaze.
Approximately 145 firefighters responded to the fire at 2552 Chestnut St., which was reported at 4:16 a.m., according to emergency dispatch records. The fire spread rapidly between the adjoining structures, one of which was under construction.
“When our units arrived this morning early, they witnessed heavy fire coming from the second floor,” San Francisco Fire Department Fire Chief Dean Crispen said at the scene (opens in new tab). “They were able to extinguish that, but it extended to the third floor and to the building to the left. Both buildings, a wood frame abutted against each other, so the fire moved very rapidly.”
Firefighters respond early Wednesday to two buildings that caught fire on Chestnut Street. | Source: Courtesy San Francisco Fire Department
Crews cut holes in the roofs of the three-story buildings to vent hot gases and searched for hot spots. Fire officials evacuated the buildings on both sides of the burning structures as a precaution and were making plans to relocate displaced residents.
A mayday call was issued after one firefighter fell from the third floor to the second floor. A second firefighter also fell through a hole in the floor during the response, Crispen said. Both were rescued and treated at the scene.
The building where the fire started was under construction, with construction equipment visible at the front of the property. Crispen said that activity may have allowed the fire to advance more rapidly than normal.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This story will be updated.