4-alarm fire races through San Francisco row house, displacing dozens

SAN FRANCISCO – A 4-alarm fire sparked at a row house in San Francisco’s Richmond district early Friday, sending people fleeing from their homes and requiring 130 firefighters to respond to the scene.

Video shared by the San Francisco Fire Department shows huge flames just pouring out of a second-story window at a row house on Fifth Avenue near Balboa and Anza streets.

The call came in at 2:04 a.m. 

Five buildings were affected by that fire and some 35 people have been displaced.

No one was injured. 

The Red Cross was called in to help and Muni buses were being used as  temporary evacuation centers for those residents.

San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispin said the community did a great job; the neighbors were already self-evacuating. 

“I think the most important thing is to have a family plan,” Crispin said. “Make sure that everybody in your family knows exactly the evacuation routes, where you’re going to meet outside the building, and how you’re going to evacuate your pets. And make sure that you listen to the orders from firefighters when they arrive. Some people get anxious, and we’re concerned that they may not make the best decision, but if they have a plan, a pre-plan, things will go a lot better.”