Series of fires in San Francisco neighborhood has residents on edge

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- People in a San Francisco neighborhood are worried about a series of brush fires that have started at homeless encampments. One literally began as an ABC7 News crew was there working on this story early Thursday evening.

Perched on Potrero Hill between Highway 101 and San Bruno Avenue, a row of houses is constantly threatened by fire. Some residents say they're now afraid to leave their homes.

Resident Bill Owings described the fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon which threatened his home. He pointed to his neighbor's house and explained the smoke in the air was so thick he couldn't see past her house, just yards away.

Owings said he and his neighbor battled Wednesday's fire with garden hoses to try to protect their homes, as the flames raced-up the parched hillside.

He says the fire sparked at the location of a homeless encampment and neighbors have tallied some nine fires in the last two years.

"Because of all the activity downtown and everything, more and more people are coming out this way and we have more and more of these issues," Owings said.

Caltrans owns the property where the homeless encampment is and occasionally pushes people out. The land is in the California Highway Patrol's jurisdiction, but firefighters know it best.

While interviewing neighbors for this story, we noticed smoke and called the San Francisco Fire Department. They responded promptly and we learned it was the third time within two days that they've been to the same location.

"The frustration is trying to get all of the entities together to do something about it," Owings said.

Another resident we spoke to said once he had to tell his son to get his shoes because they might have to evacuate their home, since the flames were getting close. He believes they are simply getting the runaround from the agencies.

Owing's son, Evan Rivera-Owings wrote a letter to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee describing the scary situation the residents are going through and asked for a solid solution. He told ABC7 News, "This homeless situation isn't going away, it's only getting worse, and it involves real people with real lives. Like the homeless people, I don't have anything against them."

He's hoping there will be a fix that helps everyone.