A screengrab from a video captured by the San Francisco Fire Department shows a four-alarm fire at Octavia and Fell streets in the Lower Haight neighborhood on Tuesday. | Source: Courtesy SFFD
Eight people were displaced by a four-alarm fire Tuesday that damaged five buildings nearby.
More than a hundred San Francisco firefighters responded to reports of the fire at a building under construction near the edge of the Lower Haight neighborhood.
ALERTSF: Avoid the area of Octavia St and Oak St due to Fire Activity. Emergency crews are on scene.
The fire began shortly after 6 a.m. at Octavia Boulevard and Oak Street, firefighters said.
More than 40 trucks and 130 firefighters arrived soon after, with the fire reaching four alarms.
SF Firefighters on scene at a 4th alarm in Oak and Octavia Streets. Building was under construction, type 5, with multiple stories. Crews are setting up ladder pipes. This high traffic area will be impacted, please avoid the area. @ktvu2 @KTVUtraffic@sfmta_muni@HeatherKTVUpic.twitter.com/jgew1JbJGc
— San Francisco Firefighters 798 (@SFFFLocal798) August 1, 2023
According to a post from a firefighter-union account, the multistory building was under construction, with crews setting up ladder pipes.
Traffic along Octavia was backed up to Market Street, delaying vehicles exiting northbound Highway 101 and snarling traffic through nearby streets, and firefighters urged commuters to avoid the area if at all possible.
Shortly after 8:30 a.m., firefighters said the blaze had been contained with no reported injuries. There was no immediate word on a cause.
In a statement, Supervisor Dean Preston said the fire happened at an unoccupied construction site, and his office was in close contact with firefighters and working to connect affected residents with Red Cross Bay Area staff and city services.
