Sponsored link
Friday, March 29, 2024

Sponsored link

Uncategorized54 residents displaced in raging Mission fire

54 residents displaced in raging Mission fire

One dead, six injured — and a lot of families and small businesses out on the streets

Flames shoot up from 22nd and Mission.  Photo by Fran Smith
Flames shoot up from 22nd and Mission. Photo by Fran Smith

By Calindra Revier

JANUARY 29, 2015 — The four-alarm fire last night at 22nd and Mission destroyed a Popeye’s Chicken outlet, a number of small local businesses — and more than a dozen rent controlled apartments, which will perhaps be the hardest to replace.

One person died and six were injured in the fire. Fifty-four people, including nine children, lost their homes.

“To be displaced in this housing market, it’s just horrible,” Sup. David Campos, who is working with the Red Cross to find temporary housing for the residents, told us.

Hundreds of people lined 22nd and Mission staring in awe at the raging fire, which engulfed 3200 Mission Street and threatened the surrounding buildings, including the brand-new luxury condos just finished next door.

A body was pulled from the flaming building and carried across the street to a Wells Fargo Bank, where rescuers attempted in vain to resuscitate the man. Police haven’t released his name yet. It’s speculated that the he died from a heart attack as well as second-degree burns.

Among the 12 people rescued from the raging fire, five escaped down the internal stairwell and the rest out the fire escapes on the Mission Street side. Four were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and burns.

Firefighters and police, as well as unpaid fire reserves, contributed to the containment of the fire, which is aptly referred to as a “surround and drown operation.” San Francisco is the only city in the world with a triple-redundant water system, which was set up after the 1906 earthquake.

According to Officer Grace Gatpandem, mixed reports indicate that the fire possibly started in the basement but was amplified when it reached the attic of the building. Arson inspectors are now looking into the cause.

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White told us that “open buildings like this tend to have a lot of fuel.”

San Francisco Fire Commission member Michael Hareeman echoed Hayes’s sentiments: “I just heard firefighters talking a moment ago about how the older buildings tend to have a lot of fuel and this one here you can see has quite a bit of age on it. A lot of plaster and wood, not conducive to when the fire starts. It becomes difficult.”

But then added “It started in multiple places it looks like, it makes you wonder what’s going on.”

Dianne Brennan, a resident of San Francisco, said “I wonder how much arson is in play. I don’t know but it sure seems like there’s been a lot of fires in the Mission District these last few years.”

Ironically, as the families – many of whom have lived in their rent-controlled units for many years – were out on the streets, the brand-new luxury condos next door seemed to be untouched as multiple water streams blocked the fire from jumping over.

Campos was on the scene. “It’s tragic but we are very grateful to our firefighters who are working with Red Cross and other city agencies,” he said, and added: “The city will work to find a place for the displaced families to stay.”

People were told that they would not be allowed into the building until tomorrow at the earliest. In the wake of the devastation of property and home loss, the next steps for them seem to be frustratingly still unknown.

When the landlord rebuilds the apartments, the current residents will by law have the right to move back in and retain their rent-controlled tenancies. But that could take months or years – the damage is massive. Sometimes buildings this badly burned need to be demolished and entirely replaced. And if history is any guide, many of the current residents will be forced to find permanent housing somewhere else – most likely out of the city.

Small businesses have no rent protections – and while a big chain might be able to weather the loss of many months’ business, the locally owned shops may have trouble surviving.

Rachel Lederman posted the following info on Facebook this morning:

From the SFTU: If you know a tenant or family displaced from the fire that occurred at Mission and 22nd yesterday (1/28/15), they have the right to return to their unit and possibly to financial support to relocate as repairs are happening to their units. Please connect them to the tenants rights/housing organizations in the Mission to find out more: Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco , San Francisco Tenants Union ,Eviction Free San Francisco, Causa Justa Just Cause, and Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA). The Tenants Union can be contacted at sftu@sftu.org and at our office 2 blocks away at 558 Capp St.

 

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.

Sponsored link

Featured

Bilal Mahmood puffed up his resume—and the Chron doesn’t seem to care

Neuroscientists say he's not a 'neuroscientist' (he's not an 'economist,' either)—but the dailies still let his claims stand without challenge.

102-year-old heroine Betty Reid Soskin’s journey premieres on Bay Area stage

Writings and songs by the nation's oldest park ranger and longtime activist form base of 'Sign My Name To Freedom.'

With Castro Theatre out, massive Frameline LGBTQ+ film fest gets creative

New executive director Allegra Madsen takes on fresh challenges with an agile attitude—and innovative locations.

More by this author

In mayoral race preview, supes reject Breed veto of Peskin zoning bill

Mayor's move was all politics, not policy, most board members agree.

Can SF get an independent study of toxic risk at Hunters Point?

Plus: Preserving history on the waterfront, and preserving the waterfront from sea-level rise. That's The Agenda for March 24-31

Hundreds rally for Preston kick-off

Spirited event seeks to draw a clear line between the billionaires and the rest of the city.
Sponsored link

You might also likeRELATED