Fire out at 2 apartment buildings in SF’s Mission District

A three-alarm blaze broke out between two apartment buildings in San Francisco’s Mission District Thursday morning.

The first reports of the fire came in just after 8:30 a.m. at an apartment complex on the 3500 block of 17th Street near Guerrero Street, said Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the fire department.

Crews found a large fire burning in the rear of the building, which was quickly upgraded to three alarms, Baxter said.

Investigators believe the blaze may have started between the buildings at 3517 and 3525 17th Street — three-story and four-story structures, respectively— and quickly spread to the rear of both buildings.

The odor grew stronger and she spotted flames from another window before calling 911 and pulling the building’s fire alarm, which woke up a number of other sleeping residents.

David Dobson, 53, who lives on the first floor of 3525 17th Street, said his rushed exit from the building was made more complicated by his prosthetic leg.

Baxter said the density of the block, which is packed with residential apartment buildings, made the fire harder to fight and increased the potential for it to spread.