Three people, including two firefighters, suffered injuries and 13 were displaced after a three-alarm fire ripped through a building in San Francisco on Tuesday, the city's fire department said.
The blaze broke out near the intersection of McAllister and Divisadero streets, according to the fire department. Over 100 firefighters responded to the scene.
The three people who were injured will be OK, the fire department said.
Justin St. James said he was working from home when he first saw smoke outside his apartment building. Then he heard a fire alarm go off inside his building.
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“I didn't take it super seriously at first," he said. "I headed towards the door. I opened the door and it was just a cloud of black smoke."
He decided to get out and avoid the flames by shimmying through a breezeway connected to his kitchen window.
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One of his neighbors chose to face the smoky halls.
"Instead of jumping, he crawled through," St. James said. "He said he thought he was going to pass out by the time he got out."
According to the fire department, residents of all nine apartments inside got out.
“We've had items such as obstructed entryways," Lt. Jonathan Baxter said. "We've had items consistent with hoarding or poor storage, inhibiting our ability to make movement through the structure."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
