San Francisco church fire: Investigators probe cause of massive blaze

SAN FRANCISCO - Firefighters remained at the scene Tuesday, monitoring for hot spots after a massive fire destroyed a historic church in San Francisco's Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood.

The four-alarm fire broke out Monday afternoon at Seventh-day Adventist Church on California Street and took crews several hours to bring under control. Firefighters stayed on scene overnight to ensure the blaze did not reignite.

"Our units are going to remain on the scene here. We have what we call a fire watch, which uses an engine truck, a truck company, and a battalion chief who remain on the scene, look for hot spots, and make sure there are no additional hotspots in the building," San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said. "We also have some considerations for collapse of some of the upper areas of the building."

Neighbors describe frantic escape

What they're saying:

Strong east winds threatened to push flames toward neighboring buildings. Residents watched nervously as the fire inched closer.  

Emily, who lives next door to the church and asked that only her first name be used, said her family feared their home would catch fire.

"Well, it's definitely nerve-racking," she said. "You hope that the embers don't fly over to our house, potentially having our house burned down. And the next concern is water damage, which is what we're facing now."Emily said her family, who owns and operates Eliza's Restaurant, which sits below their home, had to scramble to escape. At the time, her mother was caring for Emily's 5-month-old son.

"The smoke just became so heavy so quickly that the most important thing with a five-month-old is just to get him safe," she said. " Then next I came back to make sure that my parents were safe and that we evacuated the building."

Although firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to the building that houses Eliza's Restaurant, Emily said the structure sustained significant water damage.

The San Francisco Fire Department estimates crews used as much as 1 million gallons of water to battle the blaze.

The building has been yellow-tagged, meaning it is unsafe to occupy until repairs are completed. Emily said her family cannot return home, and Eliza's Restaurant is expected to remain closed for at least another week.

She hopes customers will return once the restaurant reopens.

"Please, we encourage you to come send them some love," she said. "This is a family business. It's all my aunts, my parents, my uncles — everyone works here. They'd love your encouragement and your business as well."

Historic church destroyed

Local perspective:

Officials with the Seventh-day Adventist Church said the congregation has served the community for more than a century.

"Our hearts are with the church family, neighbors and the first responders working to protect the community. We are profoundly grateful for the swift and courageous response of the firefighters on the scene," the church said in a statement.

Cause of fire under investigation

What we don't know:

With the fire extinguished, investigators are now working to determine what sparked the blaze.

Crispen said investigators are interviewing witnesses, reviewing surveillance footage and examining whether nearby construction activity may have played a role.

"They're conducting an investigation, interviewing witnesses, looking at camera footage, discussing the possibility of the construction being involved," Crispen said.

What's next:

Officials with the church are expected to hold a news conference on Wednesday morning where they will discuss the damage and impact from the fire on the church and its community. They will hold their update at 10:30 a.m. at 2889 California Street.