Firefighters contained a two-alarm fire that sent flames surging through all three floors of a building Tuesday in San Francisco’s Mission District.
UPDATE
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) November 14, 2023
This two-alarm fire at 975 Valencia Street is now under control with 5 rescued by #SFFD, and 3 transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries- @RedCrossNorCal being called to assist with potentially 8 displaced.
This fire was active on all three floors… https://t.co/UzVlsK6xMS pic.twitter.com/6VaNAybSXg
According to social media posts, San Francisco Fire Department firefighters responded to the fire at 21st and Valencia streets around 6 a.m. The city’s Department of Emergency Management said traffic delays were likely nearby as a result of an emergency response.
ALERTSF: Avoid the area of 21st and Valencia Streets due to Fire Activity. Emergency crews are on scene.
— San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (@SF_emergency) November 14, 2023
Expect traffic delays, consider alternate routes, and allow for additional travel time. For live traffic information visit https://t.co/KhHeZty2yc. https://t.co/Mi29vLOvAs
In a follow-up social media post, the department said the fire was contained by 7 a.m., with five people rescued by firefighters and three taken to hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
“@RedCrossNorCal being called to assist with potentially 8 displaced. This fire was active on all three floors with people rescued from the inside as well as off fire escapes,” the post read in part, adding that Red Cross Bay Area staff were on the scene to assist the displaced.
San Francisco Fire Capt. Jonathan Baxter told The Standard that the fire began just before 6 a.m., with 70 firefighters arriving at 975 Valencia St., a three-story multi-residential building over commercial space. No firefighters were injured while battling the blaze.
Baxter gave special credit to police officers, who not only blocked off traffic but also counseled some displaced residents at the scene.
“This is an extremely scary event for anybody to go through,” he said. “When a friendly person is sitting with you and tells you that although it’s scary, it’s going to be OK, that is always very helpful for anybody.”
The fire’s cause is undetermined, but investigators will assess all three floors for possible origin points, Baxter said.
In a separate social-media post, the fire department said firefighters adapted to “challenges due to bike-lane barriers in the roadway” during their response.
Transit advocates have in the past criticized pedestrian and bicycle safety on Valencia Street, a major north-south route through the Mission that’s been known to have higher rates of serious or fatal collisions. A pedestrian was fatally struck on Valencia in September.