Flags at all Alameda County Fire Department stations, including those in Dublin, are being lowered to half staff in honor of a San Francisco firefighter who died in the line of duty Thursday.
The firefighter died Thursday morning after being injured while battling a blaze in the city's Diamond Heights neighborhood.
Three firefighters were hurt while fighting the blaze at a four-story home on a hill in the 100 block of Berkeley Way. It was reported at 10:44 a.m., Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.
All three were taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagan said one, a male firefighter, has died.
A second male firefighter is in critical condition, and the third firefighter, a female, is in fair condition.
The blaze started on the first floor of the home and spread to the second story, Talmadge said. Firefighters saw a flash while inside the home and about that time, a firefighter in the home activated an emergency alarm. Dispatch got the alert and notified the incident commander, who tried to reach the firefighter by radio but was unable to, Talmadge said.
Additional crew members were sent in, and they found two firefighters down and "pretty badly burned," Talmadge said.
The third injured firefighter exited the home without help, she said. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and other members of the command staff have headed to the hospital to check on the firefighters.
Early this afternoon, crews remained at the scene of the fire putting out hot spots. American Red Cross personnel were speaking with the home's occupants and police were at the scene.
Patty Stanton, who lives two doors down from the home that burned, said she came out to walk her dog this morning and saw white smoke in her neighbor's garage, then saw three females run out of the home. She said the smoke started to turn black and firefighters arrived.
Stanton said she saw paramedics working on the injured firefighters.
"I just hope they'll be OK," she said.
— Bay City News contributed to this report
