A four-alarm fire ripped through multiple structures in San Francisco, prompting evacuations early Friday morning, according to the fire department.
The blaze in the 500 block of Fifth Avenue between Anza and Balboa started just before 2 a.m. and affected at least five three-story buildings, fire officials said. Three of the buildings were destroyed.
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WATCH HERE"Most of the buildings in San Francisco are up against each other, so you have wood siding against wood siding," SF fire Chief Dean Crispen said from the scene. "The fire can extend very rapidly from one building to another, so it’s really incumbent on us to get ahead of the fire."
More than 30 residents were evacuated, and one firefighter suffered a minor injury, fire officials said.
Forward progress of the flames was stopped at about 4:30 a.m., but the fire remained active on the inside of some of the buildings, fire officials said. More than 130 firefighters responded to the scene.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
At least 35 people were displaced by the blaze. Fire officials said those evacuated should go to Fifth and Cabrillo.
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