May 02--Two residents, a firefighter and a police officer were hurt Friday as a blaze gutted two homes and damaged three others in San Francisco's Oceanview neighborhood, officials said.
The fire broke out at a home on the 100 block of Bright Street near the Daly City border about 6:35 a.m., officials said. It spread to three other homes, and a fifth home had visible smoke damage. The blaze went to three alarms before 8 a.m.
The four injured people -- two residents who suffered smoke inhalation, a firefighter who experienced chest pain and a police officer with undisclosed injuries -- were taken to a hospital, authorities said.
The American Red Cross said 21 adults and a child were displaced. No damage estimate was given.
The 90 firefighters on the scene were hampered by limited visibility from both smoke and fog, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. The cause of the fire, which disrupted Muni service, is under investigation.
Brent Walker, who lives on the bottom floor of the home where the fire ignited, said he woke up to an argument and saw smoke seeping through the ceiling.
After he ran out of the house, a neighbor gave him a fire extinguisher. Walker said he hurried back inside and tried to spray the fire, but encountered smoke that was too thick.
Walker said the injured residents were the owners of the home, who lived in the unit where the fire began, and that two dogs were feared dead.
Asked why he went back inside, Walker said, "When it's a neighbor, you don't think about yourself."
Walker said he and others were "just blessed to be alive," because the fire broke out as residents slept. "Nobody realized how quickly it was moving."
Kale Williams and Henry K. Lee are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Twitter: @sfkale, @henryklee
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