10-Year-Old Girl Dies In Treasure Island Apartment Fire
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A 10-year-old girl perished in a two-alarm fire on a Treasure Island early Saturday morning, San Francisco fire officials said.
Two firefighters suffered non-life threatening injured when a second-story floor collapsed.
Fire crews were called to a report of a blaze at an apartment at 1212 Mariner Drive around 12:15 a.m., according to the fire department.
While en route to the home and as they got on scene, fire personnel learned that there was a child still trapped inside the home. According to fire officials, the building was fully engulfed, with fire and smoke pouring out of windows and doors on both floors.
The girl's parents and three siblings had safely escaped the fire, and the girl's father had attempted unsuccessfully to reenter the home and find her, Franklin said.
Firefighters aggressively attacked the blaze from inside the building and attempted to locate the girl.
Following reports that she was on the second floor, firefighters inside the home attempted to reach her but found that the staircase had burned away.
Firefighters then mounted a ladder and attempted to enter the second floor through a window. One firefighter got a leg stuck as part of the floor gave way and another who attempted to reach the home from a neighboring apartment fell one story as the floor collapsed completely, Franklin said.
Both were treated for minor injuries.
Firefighters continued to battle the blaze and were able to bring it under control in about an hour. However, once they found the girl trapped inside, she was dead, the assistant chief said.
The home was destroyed by the fire, displacing the remaining five family members. The American Red Cross responded to help the family find housing.
The fire also heavily damaged a neighboring townhouse. It is unclear how many residents from that home were displaced.
Franklin said an investigation into what sparked the blaze is underway and that there is nothing to indicate the fire was set purposely.
The assistant chief said the tragedy serves as a reminder of the importance of making sure that a home not only has working smoke detectors, but that residents have a fire escape plan and an outside meeting point in the event of a fire.
"If you determine there is a fire in your house or you see a fire start, the best thing people can do is get their family out of the house and call 911. Do not try to make reentry and do not try to put fire out yourself," he said.
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