Fire tears through San Francisco church

SAN FRANCISCO - Flames tore through a church in San Francisco on Monday afternoon as firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze.

Fire response

What we know:

The fire was reported at about 1:58 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church near California and Broderick streets, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.

Fire Capt. Jonathan Baxter said at least five people called 911 to report the fire before the first engine arrived. It was unclear whether the callers were associated with the church or were passersby.

Firefighters initially responded to a one-alarm fire before upgrading the incident to a three-alarm response as flames spread to the church's upper level.

Construction underway

Dig deeper:

Baxter said scaffolding surrounded the outside of the church, where at least two workers were on site before the fire. It was unclear whether the workers were on the scaffolding when the fire started.

A loud boom was heard while a KTVU camera crew was reporting from the scene.

Firefighters said that this structure fire is uniquely challenging compared to others because of the large amounts of open space inside, the old timbers, and the amount of air that can move through and fuel the blaze. 

Despite collapse dangers, trucks and crews were right up against the building. Later in the evening, Capt. Baxter said the Department of Building Inspection said that there was no collapse hazard for the church, but that the building was uninhabitable. 

The church was built in 1892 and was strong enough to withstand the 1906 earthquake, as the church's website points out. 

Neighbors from the area had compassion for the community the damaged church would impact. 

"It's a Seventh Day Adventist Church, so they gather on Saturday and there are always a lot of families, people with kids, and I'm kind of heartbroken for them, because I know they'll be devastated," said Matthew Levine, a neighbor who lives across the street from the church. 

"I don't really go to church at all, but it still sucks that a group of people can't live their lives as they normally would," said Thomas Arata, who lives in the area. 

Strong winds

The fire chief described the conditions of San Francisco's wind-blown Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. 

"This time of year we have westerly winds, said SF Fire Chief Dean Crispen. "As you can see, it's pretty strong right now. But we know the fire is gonna want to travel east because of the wind, so we place members just east of the building with hose lines to protect the structures next to it." 

Shelter-in-place lifted

Why you should care:

Fire officials said a firefighter sustained a minor hand injury while fighting the fire.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhood as firefighters worked to contain the blaze, but later lifted it. The fire department said evacuations for two nearby homes remained in effect and that the American Red Cross was prepared to provide temporary assistance for those who were affected. 

Kathleen Saths was one of those impacted neighbors. 

"I left and they were yelling for everyone to leave," she said. "I have no idea when we can get back in. I was told we have to wait around here for someone to come tell us when we can get back in."

People in the area should also be aware of potential water pressure fluctuations as thousands of gallons of water are being used by the fire department to tackle the fire. 

Crews will remain on the scene overnight to conduct an active fire watch to ensure nothing reignites. 

Pacific Gas and Electric shutoff power to 3,000 customers in the Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights areas. Officials said restoration work continued into the night and was expected to be fully restored by midnight. 

San FranciscoNews