Firefighters have subdued a a two-alarm fire at 157 Prospect Avenue on Bernal Hill between Esmeralda and Virginia that broke out at 8:37 a.m., displacing eight tenants and injuring one firefighter.
The firefighter was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with a gash in his head in and is reported to be in non-life threatening condition.
San Francisco Fire Department Division Chief Kevin Burke said that the firefighter was injured after a “door fell on him.” The displaced tenants include five adults, two children and one infant, and some of the occupants are the building’s landlords.
A preliminary investigation shows that the fire started in a heater that services the entire building and is located on its third floor, said Burke, adding that the heater had some kind of malfunction.
“We just woke up and someone knocked on the door and told us to get out,” said the downstairs tenant.
Jonathan Baxter, the department’s spokesperson, said the fire was difficult to get under control because of its location.
“The fire is in a small space in the wall that is too small for the firefighters to get to,” he said at the scene.
To manage it, firefighters entered through the front door and fought the flames from the roof. Some 66 firefighters and 22 vehicles were at the scene.
Baxter said the home would no longer be habitable. Toxic fumes and extensive water damage means the tenants could possibly return in three months, depending on how quickly the insurance company moves, he estimated.
Burke called the damage to the building “significant” but couldn’t estimate the financial cost.
“Nothing’s cheap these days,” he said.
By 9:44 a.m. only smoke was coming from the building and the fire appeared to be under control.
“I was out walking the dog and we just saw a little bit of smoke coming out of the side of the building,” said neighbor Angela Walo.
It looked like nothing more than smoke from cooking, Walo said, but having seen the 29th and Mission fire, she knew how quickly a fire could spread.
“I freaked out and decided to call 911,” she added.
It was unclear if the house was broken up into separate units or if it was a shared living space.
District Supervisor David Campos and Tom Ammiano, who live in the neighborhood, came by and spoke with tenants and neighbors. Prospect Avenue was closed from Virginia to Esmeralda avenues.
Fire coming from 161 Prospect Ave. in Bernal Heights, two alarms. #sf pic.twitter.com/7TU8WExWSs
— Joe Rivano Barros (@jrivanob) September 23, 2016
