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Mar 18, 2008 12:10 am US/Pacific
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4-Alarm Fire Destroys 2 Buildings In SF's Mission
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
At least 130 San Francisco firefighters battled a four-alarm fire Monday evening that badly burned two Victorian apartment buildings and threatened a third building in the city's Mission District.
Flames were first reported at 1470 and 1476 Valencia St. at 5:56 p.m., Lt. Mindy Talmadge said. When fire units arrived on scene they found the rear of both buildings engulfed in flames, as well as the attic.
The flames burned just a few doors away from the Dovre Club, according to the fire department.
In all, 40 apartment units had to be evacuated.
The huge blaze was initially dispatched as a three-alarm fire and was upgraded to four-alarms about a half-hour later. As of 7:35 p.m., officials said the fire was finally contained.
At the height of the blaze, flames as high as 25 to 30 feet shot through the roof of the two structures, and large plumes of smoke were visible throughout much of the city, from across the bay and from as far away as the San Bruno Mountains.
The entire block was evacuated, and residents inside both affected buildings were not allowed back home Monday night, Talmadge said. They were to be allowed back in at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to collect some belongings, but the buildings were deemed uninhabitable for the moment.
"A fire watch will be on scene all night to make sure there are no flare ups, but at this point we don't know if the buildings will be livable again," Talmadge said.
The American Red Cross assisted residents who did not have friends or relatives to stay with Monday night, Talmadge said.
Lt. Ken Smith said that when firefighters went into the buildings to try to retrieve items for residents such as shoes and car keys they reported that not all of the units were damaged by smoke and fire. While the actual building may not be salvageable, many other items will be.
Flames began to lick at the structure at 1488 Valencia St., Talmadge said. Luckily, firefighters were able to "put a wall of water" between the fire and the building and it was saved from any damage.
One reason this particular fire was so difficult to fight is the shape of the buildings, Talmadge said. The four-story buildings are very long, about 60 feet, which meant that when the fire reached the attic it could spread along the entire length of the structure.
"That is a lot of attic space," Talmadge said.
The fires were burning on the fourth floors of both buildings and pushing against each other, which meant that the flames from each building were feeding each other, Smith said.
One firefighter and one resident were treated for smoke inhalation and two pet cats perished in the fire, Talmadge said. However, there were no serious injuries and firefighters were able to save quite a few other pets.
"Hats off to all the firefighters for staying with it and staying aggressive in fighting this fire tonight," Smith said. "It was a tremendous save."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)