SF officials: store building must be torn down after Thursday's fire
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The building that burned for hours on Thursday in San Francisco's Mission District must be torn down. The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection made the announcement after completing its assessment with the property owner. The next step will involve the property owners working with their insurance company to begin an emergency demolition.
The building housed the Big House, Inc. store between Mission Street and 22nd Street. The three-story building was destroyed in the five-alarm fire that began just after 1 p.m.
San Francisco firefighters continue to monitor flare-ups in the rubble. Because this space was used for storage, they expect more flare-ups once they are allowed to move through the debris inside. Engineers say it still is not safe to enter. San Francisco fire officials describe the building as, "dangerous and heavily compromised in both structure and integrity."
"I would say 95 percent of the roof either burned off or fell through into the building. We also have what appears to be a second floor or mezzanine collapse down to the first floor. And we have a problem with two barring walls on the exterior, also the front wall is cracked and we're worried about that possibly falling off into mission street," explained Assistant Chief David Franklin.
At least two businesses were destroyed by the fire. Others stores were damaged by smoke and heavy water. Five people were injured in the fire, four of which were taken to the hospital, including two firefighters.
This block of Mission street still is closed to traffic, except for emergency crews and MUNI busses.
PHOTOS: Mission District fire grows to five alarms
Flames and heavy smoke rose from the burning store moments after the fire broke out around 1 p.m. on Thursday. Firefighters called for backups, a total of five-alarms, as companies raced to the densely packed block of Mission Street from all corners of San Francisco. They say they found merchandise, packed from floor to ceiling inside the store. Complaints about cramped conditions prompted a visit from fire inspectors in 2009.
"In 2009 I'm told we came out on a customer complaint saying it was a little bit overcrowded and that you couldn't really access the aisle ways too well. We did come out in '09, did not issue a notice of violation, but we directed them to widen one of the pathways to the rear exit, they complied and it was handled," said SFFD Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
VIDEO: Heavy smoke kept some Mission District residents away from their homes
The fire department deal with a similar complaint last year, but an inspector determined conditions were inside the store.
The Salvation Army has spent the night providing cold water and snacks for the firefighters who've kept an eye on the smoldering rubble.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement he was grateful no one was seriously injured in the fire.
"On behalf of the residents of the city and county of San Francisco, I would like to thank our fire chief and the more than 100 firefighters who responded to today's five-alarm fire in the Mission neighborhood," he said. "Thanks to the leadership and determined action of our city's fire department, the very real potential of severe damage to other homes, businesses and structures in the neighborhood was avoided."looking into what caused the blaze.
