SFFD practices in high-rise fire drill

San Francisco Firefighters practiced skills they hope they never need on Saturday- fighting a high-rise fire.

The drill took place on the 26th floor of 525 Market St.

Inside, victims coughed, alarms chimed, and firefighters got to work.

The department has an annual high-rise fire drill as a way for firefighters to get real world experience before it's life or death.

Assistant Chief Kevin Burke says, "There are a lot of logistics issues we have to deal with, so it's a drill we have to go through".

Firefighters say the difference between fighting a house fire and a high-rise fire is more than just a matter of scale.

Burke says, "You get up there, you don't know what you're seeing. On one floor it might be small offices, another floor it could be open with desks. When you get up to that floor you have to decide how you're going to attack".