3 San Francisco firefighters injured battling early morning fire in Marina District

By Tim Fang

Three firefighters suffered injuries as they were battling a fire at a building under construction in San Francisco’s Mission District early Wednesday morning.

According to the San Francisco Fire Department, crews were called to a building on the 2500 block of Chestnut Street, near Richardson Avenue and Broderick Street, around 4:15 a.m.

Chief Dean Crispen said when the first unit arrived, firefighters saw what was described as a “heavy amount of fire” coming from the second floor of the building. The fire had spread into the third floor and into adjacent buildings.

As crews were battling the fire, two firefighters who were on the third floor were injured when then fell through holes in the floor. A mayday was called and the injured firefighters were taken to San Francisco General Hospital.

Crispen said the two firefighters who fell through the floor were in “stable condition”. 

In a subsequent update, the fire department said a third firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

“Our firefighters did a fantastic job, very aggressive firefighting. Building under construction can provide many challenges with uncovered walls and active plumbing and electrical work being done, can pose a lot of danger to our firefighters,” Crispen said at a briefing.

The fire was contained as of about 7 a.m. Four people from an adjacent building were displaced and the Red Cross was on scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.