Hundreds of employees evacuated during SoMa construction trouble

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The evacuation orders imposed on workers in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood impacted hundreds Wednesday during a construction issue at a building on Tehama Street.

RELATED: Howard Street reopens after building concerns in SoMa

San Francisco firefighters escorted people to buildings and cars nearly five hours after the trouble on a high-rise forced the evacuations in downtown San Francisco.

"We were just in our building working on our computers in our office and they came up to us and said, You have to evacuate the building, we think something is going to collapse'" said Michelle Malouf. "There's a crane, we didn't get a lot of information."

Hundreds of people looked up at a leaning wall and tilting concrete pump platform at 41 Tehama Street.

Firefighters evacuated 12 buildings, mostly businesses, but there are a few condos nearby.

"Obviously safety is a concern, I understand that, but of course as a resident of course I'm concerned about not being able to get home tonight," said one person who lives nearby.

Road blocks from First to Second streets and Howard to Folsom streets stranded cars and snarled the commute.

By 9:30 p.m. all streets reopened except Tehama between First and Second streets. Crews need access to the building Thursday morning.