Firefighters in the San Francisco Bay Area were battling a large apartment fire in Foster City, an incident that left two members of the crews injured. According to the reporting, the blaze was described as a massive apartment fire, and coverage from the scene showed heavy smoke still rising from the building as crews worked to bring it under control.
The conditions on the ground were punishing for the firefighters. According to the reporting, heavy smoke and heat were taking a toll on the crews, and the situation was difficult enough that commanders had to rotate firefighters out of the fight to give them relief. The intensity of the fire kept the response very active over an extended period.
The physical toll was reflected in the injuries reported among the crews. According to the reporting, two firefighters had to be treated for smoke inhalation, and one of those two was taken to the hospital. The account did not indicate any more serious injuries among the firefighters beyond the effects of the smoke.
For the people who lived in the building, the outcome was described in reassuring terms. According to the reporting, the residents were all okay, and shelter was being arranged for them overnight as they were displaced from their homes by the fire and the emergency response around it.
The rescue effort inside the building was described as chaotic. According to the reporting, firefighters were plucking numerous residents from the third floor of the building, an operation carried out amid the smoke and heat. The reporter noted that no exact count of how many residents were pulled out had been provided, something officials said they would follow up on.
The origin of the fire had not yet been established. According to the reporting, the cause was too early to tell, and firefighters said they were certainly going to investigate it. As a structure fire, the incident carried added uncertainty about what materials might be inside, which the reporter cited as a reason for caution around the smoke.
The scene remained hazardous even as the immediate rescues were completed. According to the reporting, smoke was still coming up from the top of the building, and the reporter on scene was wearing a mask because of the dense, unpleasant smoke, describing how walking through it with the heat, even for a few seconds, hit hard. Officials indicated the crews were likely to remain at the site for some time.