San Francisco, CA- 4th Alarm 2-28-06

[Truck4 48]

Date: 2-28-06

Time: 2245hrs

Location: 125 Gardenside Dr.

Departments: SFFD

Description: Heavy fire in a 4-story 50X100 OMD.

Writer: Truck4

Residents flee blaze at Twin Peaks summit

Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer

Firefighters battled hot spots Tuesday from a four-alarm fire that swept through a four-story apartment building near the summit of Twin Peaks in San Francisco.

The blaze, which broke out Monday around 10:45 p.m. at 125 Gardenside Drive in the middle of a fierce windstorm, sent dozens of residents fleeing into the street in their pajamas, clutching their cats, dogs and photo albums.

There were no injuries, but 10 apartment units were badly damaged by flames, smoke and water, Fire Department Lt. Mindy Talmadge said. Firefighters had to beat a temporary retreat after wind gusts enabled the blaze to spread across the rooftop.

Kurt Hilden was home with his cocker spaniel, Jack, when the building alarm went off.

"I said to Jack, 'Let's go,' and we got out,'' Hilden said. "We watched the fire and couldn't believe it. It looked like the Fire Department had it under control, then the wind picked up and it was so strong the fire just got away.''

Kathleen Swindler grabbed her two cats, Dana and Neko, and stuffed them in a box. Then she climbed through her second-story bedroom window, where a firefighter helped her climb down a ladder.

On Tuesday, she went back to her apartment to retrieve her most precious possession -- a 2-foot-tall stuffed snowman that she has had since she was 5.

Resident Gail Zatcoff said she couldn't believe how fast the fire spread through the yellow stucco building.

"It was very, very windy and the wind was just blowing the fire across the roof,'' she said. "I thought the firefighters would get it, but they didn't.''

Firefighters contained the blaze in about 90 minutes. Ten residents have been given temporary shelter through the Red Cross.