Thursday, March 28

7 injured, 1 critically, in 2-alarm San Francisco apartment fire


SAN FRANCISCO — Fire crews in San Francisco rescued seven people — including one critically injured victim  — from a two-alarm Western Addition apartment building fire Friday morning, according to authorities.

Just before 10:30 a.m., the San Francisco Fire Department Public Information Officer Twitter account posted several photos of smoke rising from what was confirmed by authorities to be an apartment complex at 1355 Ellis Street in the Western Addition.

Approximately 65 firefighters from multiple area stations responded to the scene.

San Francisco Fire initially said that a total of four people were rescued with injuries from the fire. One person sustained critical injuries, while two suffered moderate injuries and one person had minor injuries. Fire officials later provided an update saying that a total of five adults were rescued, with two in critical condition and two in serious condition besides the one person who suffered minor injuries.

The fire was still burning actively on the second and third floors of the building as of 10:49 a.m. The fire did not extend to neighboring structures. 

The address of the building was later corrected to 10 Inca Lane by fire officials. The fire was contained as of 11:37 a.m.

SFFD Assistant Chief Bob Postel said arriving firefighters found “heavy fire burning on the first and second floors with immediate rescues.”

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“Crews immediately pulled out two people from the top floor in the rear, two people out of the ground floor in the rear who were trapped, one person from the second floor in the rear, as well as two additional people from the rear of what we would call the delta building, one building to the right of the three units that were involved in the fire,” said Postel.

Postel also offered some clarification on the number of people injured. A total of seven people were hurt, with one critically injured victim — an elderly woman. The rest suffered moderate to severe injuries, Postel said. 

The San Francisco Unified School District Twitter account tweeted praise for a pair of teachers from nearby Rosa Parks Elementary School who helped with the rescue of elderly residents at the fire.

“The school community came together to support fire victims and each other. We are very glad that all students and staff are safe,” the tweet read.

An SFFD tweet later said that 18 people were displaced by the fire and are receiving assistance from the Red Cross.

People are being asked to avoid the area. 



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