SAN RAFAEL -- The majority of the historic homes in Marin are in San Rafael. It is the oldest city in Marin and Thursday night it lost a big piece of its history

The San Rafael fire department says it arrived on scene just before 7 p.m.

The flames were coming from the historic Bradford House. Built in the 1880s, today it is home to seven apartments.

Nearby residents could not believe what they were witnessing.

"Oh my gosh, the whole damn thing, it was all in flames," said neighbor Joe Cox.

"The couple on the corner that had the apartment on the corner; they started screaming and yelling 'Call 911!' and they ran and got everyone out," said Al Springstead, who also lives close to the house.

Firefighters were inside aggressively trying to knock down the flames when all of a sudden the flames nearly knocked them down.

"Fire fighters went inside [and] completed a quick search. They attacked up to the fourth floor, up to a point. It pushed them back, then they withdrew," said Fire Chief Chris Gray.

With fire fighters lives at risk, the decision was made to fight the three-alarm blaze from the outside. A fourth alarm was called minutes later

And as they did, San Rafael residents watched a piece of Marin County history slowly disappear into the night.

'Its really sad. Its terrifying … terrifying," said San Rafael resident Carolyn Vaughn.

The Bradford House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One witness told us Thursday night a few tenants of the Bradford House were grilling on a hibachi that had been placed on the fire escape and that that is where the fire started.

The fire department says it is investigating the cause. There are no injuries that have been reported