In Wake of Devastating Apartment Building Fires, Sup. Preston Calls for Hearing on Fire Prevention and Victim Support
SAN FRANCISCO — Following the third devastating fire on the Divisadero Corridor in the last five months, District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston called for a city hearing on residential apartment building fires. The hearing will explore strategies for fire prevention and give the public an opportunity to learn about the City’s protocol for responding.
“Recent fires have wide-reaching effects on those who are displaced, especially for longtime tenants who have spent decades in the same apartment,” said Preston a long-time tenant attorney, “We want to make sure we are doing everything possible to prevent fires and help displaced residents and small businesses in their their time of need.”
In late August 2022, a fire on Divisadero & McAllister displaced 13 residents, required a dramatic rescue from the building, and displaced small businesses, while leaving the building badly burned. Just one week later, another fire, this one at Haight and Divisadero, displaced 12 residents and a ground floor business.
In addition to these recent fires in District 5, other neighborhoods have experienced significant fires, including a fire in Potrero Hill just last week that resulted in a fatality.
Preston’s office credited the Fire Department, the American Red Cross, whose volunteers serve as an initial point of contact for fire victims, and the city’s Human Services Agency, who follows up with impacted residents to help navigate city resources and services.
“I’m grateful for the tireless work of City staff and the dedication of Red Cross volunteers. I want to make sure we are doing everything possible to prevent fires in these buildings and to help those who are displaced,” Preston said. “We often talk about serving the most vulnerable, and that needs to include fire victims who lose their homes and their belongings in an instant.”
Among the issues Preston plans to address at the hearing is sprinklering. In contrast to SROs and new buildings, sprinklers are not required for older apartment buildings across San Francisco, allowing localized fires to quickly spread to entire buildings, as happened in the recent Divisadero fire.
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