1:50 PM: A San Francisco firefighter has died after being injured while battling a blaze in the city’s Diamond Heights neighborhood this morning.
Three firefighters were hurt while fighting the fire, which was reported 10:44 a.m. at a four-story home on a hill in the 100 block of Berkeley Way, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.
All three were taken to San Francisco General Hospital.
Hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagan said one, a male firefighter, has since passed away. A second male firefighter is in critical condition, and the third firefighter, a female, is in fair condition.
The blaze started on the first floor of the home and spread to at least the second story, Talmadge said.
Talmadge said firefighters saw a flash while inside the home.
Around that time, a firefighter in the home activated an emergency alarm. Dispatch got the alert and notified the incident commander, who tried to reach the firefighter by radio but was unable to, Talmadge said.
Additional crew members were sent in, and they found two firefighters down and “pretty badly burned,” Talmadge said.
The third injured firefighter was able to exit the home without help, she said.
Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and other members of the command staff have headed to the hospital to check on the firefighters.
Early this afternoon, crews remained at the scene of the fire putting out hot spots. American Red Cross personnel were speaking with the home’s occupants and police were at the scene.
Patty Stanton, who lives two doors down from the home that burned, said she came out to walk her dog this morning and saw white smoke in her neighbor’s garage, then saw three females run out of the home.
She said the smoke started to turn black and firefighters arrived.
After the injuries occurred, she saw paramedics working on the injured firefighters. “I just hope they’ll be OK,” Stanton said.
12:41 PM: Three firefighters were injured while battling a fire in San Francisco’s Diamond Heights neighborhood this morning, a fire department spokeswoman said.
A dispatcher said two of the firefighters are in “very critical” condition.
The fire was reported at 10:44 a.m. at a four-story home on a slope in the 100 block of Berkeley Way, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.
The blaze started on the first floor of the home and spread to at least the second story, Talmadge said.
Talmadge said firefighters saw a flash while inside the home. Around that time, a heat alarm on one of the firefighters’ uniforms was activated, she said.
When commanders on the outside tried to reach the firefighter by radio, there was no response. Additional crew members were sent in, and they found two firefighters down and “pretty badly burned,” Talmadge said.
The third injured firefighter was able to exit the home without help, she said.
All three were being taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and other members of the command staff were headed to the hospital to check on the firefighters’ conditions.
As of about 12:15 p.m., crews remained at the scene of the fire putting out hot spots.
12:19 PM: Two firefighters are in “very critical” condition after being injured while battling a fire in San Francisco’s Diamond Heights neighborhood this morning, a fire dispatcher said.
The fire was reported at 10:44 a.m. at a three-story home in the 100 block of Berkeley Way, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.
The blaze started on the first floor of the home and spread to at least the second story, Talmadge said.
Two firefighters were injured while fighting the fire, the dispatcher said. Both were taken to San Francisco General Hospital.
12:15 PM: Two firefighters have been injured while battling a fire in San Francisco’s Diamond Heights neighborhood this morning, a fire dispatcher said.
The fire was reported at 10:44 a.m. at a three-story home in the 100 block of Berkeley Way, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.
The blaze started on the first floor of the home and spread to at least the second story, Talmadge said.
While battling the blaze, two firefighters were injured, the dispatcher said. The extent of the injuries were not yet known, but one of the firefighters was being taken to San Francisco General Hospital as of 11:20 a.m., he said.
The fire had not been extinguished as of 11:20 a.m.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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