A luxury downtown San Francisco apartment block has flooded after a resident vandalized the building, property management said.
The 11th floor of 100 Van Ness is where the damage was allegedly made by the suspect. San Francisco Police confirmed they have arrested a 46-year-old resident, who has been booked in SF County Jail for felony vandalism and resisting arrest.
Firefighters responded to the incident at 5:25 a.m.—within five minutes of receiving the call—and found a man drenched in water near a broken water pipe, officials said.
Multiple apartments on the 11th floor and below were water damaged and are not habitable, the building's management said.
A letter sent to tenants Tuesday and shared with The Standard said that the management company would reimburse tenants for up to $300 for a night of lodging, and that the company was looking into alternative interim housing for those who might need it.
One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said that they were woken up at 5:30 a.m. by the building’s speaker system ordering them to evacuate the building due to a “fire.”
The resident said they saw a large hole in the western stairwell on the 11th floor as they were evacuating.
“There was this hole, and it looked like the leak was coming from there, and it looked like there was some sort of vandalism,” the resident said.
An email from the property manager seen by The Standard confirmed the man had been arrested for vandalism and that the elevators were out of service due to the flooding.
A spokesperson for 100 Van Ness said: "We are working diligently with elevator repair teams, a water remediation company, and city inspectors to return the building to full working order as quickly as possible. We are also in contact with local hotels, nearby apartment buildings and our residents to ensure everyone impacted by this event has a safe place to stay. We are hopeful that at least one elevator will be operational tomorrow."
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated SFFD’s response time. It took firefighters five minutes to respond to the call, dispatching the first engine to the apartment at 5:25 a.m. The Standard regrets the error.