Five San Francisco Firefighters Injured in Four-Alarmer

May 7, 2012
Three of the firefighters were in a stairwell when it collapsed while battling the blaze Sunday morning.

A four-alarm blaze ripped through an apartment building Sunday morning injuring five San Francisco firefighters and one resident.

Three of the firefighters were in a stairwell when it collapsed, one was treated for a foot injury and another sustained a cut to a hand, according to The Examiner.

Two of the firefighter injured in the stairwell collapsed were undergoing MRIs for muscular and skeletal damage.

The injured resident was transported to St. Fancis Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Crews responded to the fire around 9:51 a.m. at the corner of Duboce and Valencia street and it quickly evolved from a one to four alarms within 15 minutes.

Deputy Fire Chief Mark Gonzales told the newspaper that flames behind the three-story structure were shooting 20 feet into the air.

Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack and eventually brought the blaze under control.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but officials believed it originated in the stairwell.

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