A four-alarm fire in San Francisco’s Mission District yesterday damaged two Victorian structures.
Photos by John Han
By Caitlin Cassady
March 18, 2008
Residents from 30 units in two Victorian buildings in San Francisco’s Mission District did not sleep in their beds last night after a four-alarm fire ravaged the structures, a San Francisco fire lieutenant said.
Flames were first reported at 1470 and 1476 Valencia St. at 5:56 p.m., Lt. Mindy Talmadge said.
When fire units arrived on scene they found the rear of both buildings engulfed in flames, as well as the attic.
The entire block was evacuated, and the residents from both affected buildings were not allowed to go back to their apartments, Talmadge said. They will be allowed back in today to collect belongings, but the buildings have been deemed uninhabitable for the moment.
“At this point we don’t know if the buildings will be livable again,” Talmadge said.
The American Red Cross is assisting residents who do not have friends or relatives to stay with tonight, Talmadge said.
Lt. Ken Smith said that when firefighters went into the buildings to try to retrieve items for residents such as shoes and car keys they reported that not all of the units were damaged by smoke and fire.
While the actual building may not be salvageable, many other items will be.
Flames began to lick at the structure at 1488 Valencia St., Talmadge said. Luckily, firefighters were able to “put a wall of water” between the fire and the building and it was saved from any damage.
One reason this particular fire was so difficult to fight is the shape of the buildings, Talmadge said. The four-story buildings are very long, about 60 feet, which meant that when the fire reached the attic it could spread along the entire length of the structure.
“That is a lot of attic space,” Talmadge said.
The fires were burning on the fourth floors of both buildings and pushing against each other, which meant that the flames from each building were feeding each other, Smith said.
One firefighter and one resident were treated for smoke inhalation and two pet cats perished in the fire, Talmadge said. However, there were no serious injuries and firefighters were able to save quite a few other pets.
“Hats off to all the firefighters for staying with it and staying aggressive in fighting this fire tonight,” Smith said. “It was a tremendous save.”
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