A huge blaze, which has been described as the largest in the area since the Berkeley/Oakland Hills fire in 1991, burned inside the historic 39-unit Sequoias apartment building at Haste and Telegraph in Berkeley for seventeen hours on Friday night and most of the day Saturday. An estimated seventy residents were displaced and the building was gutted, making a subsequent investigation difficult, as investigators won't be allowed to enter the building. more ›

This gem of a story reminds us why we should make an effort to watch the local TV news more often. Some poor 21-year-old kid in Vallejo took his friends up on a $100 dare, in which he lubed himself with laundry detergent and climbed into a baby swing at Blue Rock Springs Park on Friday night. Then he got stuck. more ›

The Oakland Tribune (via Mercury News) reports on a tragic story of a 57-year-old man who drowned in the bay in Alameda on Monday after wading chest-high in the water fully clothed for nearly an hour before rescuers could reach him. more ›

We're happy to report that no injuries were recorded in the three-alarm fire that captivated every photographer in the Mission on Friday afternoon. According to the Examiner, the fire started around 4:15 p.m. at 506 Capp St and spread to the building next door as well as the building behind it on 21st street. 14 mph winds complicated things, but SFFD had the blaze under control after about two hours and crews were able to rescue both a dog and a bird cage. [SFEx] more ›

The U.S. Sailing Association announced last week that they'll be honoring a group of three kiteboarders for making an exhilarating rescue that sounds like something out of a Vin Diesel movie. During the incident back in April, Tugboat Captain Roger Christiansen and his single crew member were forced to abandoned ship as their boat sank in the rough waters off of Ocean Beach. The three extreme rescuers were taking advantage of the conditions when they spotted the captain in an inflatable raft, who directed them to search for his shipmate stranded in the water with nothing more than a life ring. Two of the boarders flagged down a Coast Guard rescue vessel while the other used his kite to pull the second sailor to safety. A spokesperson for the Sailing Association told the Examiner, "Nobody could have done that in those conditions. The mastery of their gear is truly impressive.” more ›

Three kayakers were rescued from McCovey Cove yesterday after their vessel flipped over during a workout. The Chronicle reports: "A person on shore spotted two overturned kayaks and alerted the Coast Guard at 4:05 p.m. The Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department workers in a department boat rescued three people a short distance south of the cove, where the water temperature hovers around 50 degrees." The chilly kayakers were taken to a nearby hospital, but will be just fine. [Chron] more ›

A man and a woman who were crab fishing off of Bodega Bay on Sunday morning were thrown overboard after a large wave hit their 15-foot boat. They were both wearing life jackets and made it to shore on their own. Capt. Todd Rollings of the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District told the Press Democrat that a Good Samaritan had already given the two blankets before rescue personnel made it to the scene. The couple were released unharmed, aside from being very cold and wet, of course. more ›

Bay City News tells us (via SF Appeal) that on Saturday evening, a BART passenger got his leg stuck between the train and the platform when exiting at the Walnut Creek station. It isn't known how the incident occurred. more ›

CBS 5's red box of alarm notes: "A cliff rescue is underway in San Francisco at a beach area located at the end of El Camino Del Mar near the Lincoln Park Golf Course." Egads, we hope they're plucked from the cliff safely. more ›

This story, which occurred in Folsom (east of Sacramento), reads like something right out of a movie. On Monday evening, 17-year-old Todd McHugh of Citrus Heights saw a car swerve, veer off the road, and then get stuck on the Folsom light rail track. When McHugh ran over to the car, he saw that the driver had fallen asleep for a second and was in a daze, and her 7- and 10-year-old daughters were in the backseat. He quickly helped the woman out of the car, and she unbuckled the kids. more ›

Picture it: You're on the beach watching your boyfriend catch some big breaks off Dunes Beach in Half Moon Bay. Darkness is falling. You lose sight of him as the waves start getting bigger, and then you see his surfboard wash ashore with the leg strap broken (but not, as pictured, with any bite marks taken out of it -- photo for illustrative purposes only. more ›

Ha, it looks like we've been had, kind of -- it is a true story though. According to Snopes, this story happened down in LA in February, and the dogs did indeed find a home together. Awww! Thanks to drybones for clearing it up for us. A friend of SFist sent this sad story to us earlier, and SFist commenter Rahir added it to SFist's contribute page. more ›

San Francisco firefighters, according to SFGate, are rescuing residents from the windows of a Nob Hill burning apartment building. The complex is on Bush Street between Jones and Taylor streets. (Ack, we love that block of Bush!) No word yet on any injuries or what started the inferno. Update: One person was killed, three others injured. more ›

Four commercial fishermen were rescued today after their 35-foot commercial fishing boat, christened "Reward," capsized 50 yards off of Pier 45 today. Fortunately, as a response boat from the Coast Guard Station was performing "training evolutions" in the Bay, they noticed the boat sinking, went into action, and rescued the four fishermen. No injuries were sustains. more ›

Hey, remember yesterday, when everyone at SFist chimed in on the "what to do when a homeless kid's dog bites your friend on the leg" question? We got quite a few interesting answers, and one suggestion that we get in touch with the good folks at San Francisco Animal Control to see what they suggest doing in those circumstances. Deb Campbell was kind enough to answer a few of our questions: What would Animal... more ›