46 displaced, including children, after fire rips through Tenderloin low-income housing
A fire at a Tenderloin residential building has displaced more than 40 people.
SAN FRANCISCO - Dozens of residents remain displaced from their homes Thursday after a fast-moving fire tore through a low-income apartment building in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood earlier this week.
The fire, which broke out Tuesday night at 285 Turk St., left 15 units temporarily uninhabitable and 46 people, including five children in need of temporary long-term shelter.
Hidden flames in the walls
"We didn’t see a lot of flame or smoke, so it really came upon us suddenly," said resident Mike Beauchamp.
It was just after 11 p.m. when the building’s alarm system began to echo through the halls.
The San Francisco Fire Department faced a unique challenge in containing the blaze. The fire originated in a lightwell — a vertical shaft designed to provide air and daylight to bathrooms and kitchens in buildings.
"What happened was the fire traveled vertically and got within the walls," said Lt. Mariano Elias of the San Francisco Fire Department. "Our crews were on every floor, in every kitchen and bathroom having to basically destroy the walls to get into where the fire was hiding."
While the fire was fully extinguished by 2:30 a.m., the aggressive tactics required to save the structure, combined with the volume of water used to douse the hidden flames, left a number of apartments badly damaged.
"It could have been a lot worse," said Beauchamp. "They saved us, and yeah I think the new fire alarm system that we have."
The road to recovery
The aftermath has left 46 residents, including five children displaced.
"There was an inch of water on the floor of the lobby and the hallways and in the destroyed units," said Beauchamp. "I feel terrible. I thought I was going to be displaced too."
The Red Cross was on scene to help residents find temporary shelter.
"Many people were out there with a blanket over their shoulders," said Lt. Elias. "Many of us went into their units to get them something to wear in the meantime, while we were out into the wee hours of the morning."
The San Francisco Human Services Agency is working to secure long-term temporary housing for those affected.
The San Francisco Fire Department says the cause of the fire is still being investigated. It is currently unclear when repairs will be completed or when the 15 impacted families will be able to return home.
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