Flames shooting out of a seventh story window of a high rise caught the attention of Matthew Milde.
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Around 7:30 p.m. he drove on Junipero Sierra Boulevard headed toward 19th Avenue and recorded video with his cellphone.
San Francisco State University students who live in the building didn't realize the severity of the situation at first.
"We have a lot of false alarms, but never actually the real thing," said Espie Pitones, a resident of the building. "And especially next door it's like, no."
The 12 story apartment building is on Cambon Drive. The fire broke out in a unit on the 19th Avenue side.
Erika, a student, says the women left their apartment without jackets thinking they'd be let right back in. "Our roommates actually said it smells like smoke and we thought they were joking and we got outside and there was actually smoke coming out of the door," she told ABC7 News.
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Firefighters say they extinguished the flames in less than 30 minutes, but called for back-up just in case.
"We struck a second alarm fire as a precautionary measure," said Assistant Chief Bob Postel. "We were able to put the fire out quickly with two hose lines."
Firefighters dumped burned debris from inside the apartment while investigators worked to determine the cause.
The Red Cross is helping the two displaced residents.