San Francisco (CA) explosion blows house off its foundation; fire spreads to three home, US
A home in San Francisco’s Sunset District erupted in flames about 09h30am Thursday, 9 February 2023, killing one person, seriously injuring another and leaving a fire fighter with minor injuries, San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) officials said. Officials were extinguishing the fire on the 1700 block of 22nd Avenue and treating the person for burns, the fire department said just after 9h30am. Twitter users nearby wrote that they heard and felt an “explosion” shortly before seeing the smoke in the distance. More than 100 fire fighters responded to the scene and the 1700 block has been evacuated, SFFD spokesperson Jonathan Baxter said. One occupant was unaccounted for.
At 09h22 the San Francisco Fire Department responded to numerous 911 calls reporting an explosion with subsequent structure fire in the 1700 block of 22nd Ave. At 09h25am, three minutes after dispatch, the first arriving San Francisco Fire unit observed and confirmed a structure fire with heavy smoke and flames visible from all floors of a two-story residential structure on the 1700 Block of 22nd Avenue. One occupant was observed outside of the structure with serious injuries.
At 09h28am in the morning, a second alarm was struck and at 09h44am, a third alarm was struck, bringing over 100 fire fighters and over 35 fire apparatus to the scene. Initially, the entire 1700 block of 22nd Avenue was given an evacuation order. This order was changed to reflect an evacuation of the 1730 to 1750 block of 22nd Ave. with a shelter-in-place order given to the remaining 1700 block of 22nd Ave. At 12h00 all evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted.
The American Red Cross was called to assist those evacuated and displaced from this incident. The cause and origin of this fire is under investigation by the San Francisco Fire investigation task force. There is currently no threat to the public related to the explosion, isolated to this specific location of 1734 22nd Avenue (fire building) and exposures 1730 and 1738 22nd Avenue. Indicators of an explosion, such as blown-out windows of homes and cars, are visible in the area. The cause of this explosion and subsequent fire is under investigation.
One community member was taken to the hospital for serious injuries resulting from this fire, and one fire fighter was taken to a hospital for minor injuries resulting from this fire. One occupant is currently unaccounted for.
As of 10h00am Thursday, the home had completely collapsed, SFFD photos and videos showed. The two houses next to it, one on each side, appear to have sustained some damage but were still standing. Joel Engardio, the San Francisco supervisor who represents the area, also shared photos showing damage to the houses across the street.
A San Francisco Fire Department K-9 unit found a body in the rubble of a house fire in the Sunset District, officials announced on Thursday night.
The civilian and the fire fighter have been transported to a local hospital for treatment.
SFFD representatives are investigating the cause of the fire.
Sources: San Francisco Fire Department, SFGATE, San Francisco Chronicle