A fast-moving fire at a San Francisco construction site Tuesday afternoon forced nearby buildings to be evacuated and sent a plume of smoke into the air that could be seen across the Bay Area. The five-alarm fire began at around 5 p.m. local time and ravaged a high-rise building under construction in the Mission Bay neighborhood of the city, leading to the collapse of a wall of the structure about an hour later. As daylight waned, the flames calmed and the smoke turned from black to white.
About 150 firefighters responded to the scene, and teams were expected to remain there throughout the night. San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said that one firefighter suffered second-degree burns to his face. No other injuries were reported.