Five S.F. Quake-Condemned Homes Burn

Firefighters early Thanksgiving morning fought a huge blaze that raced through five Victorian homes condemned after the Oct. 17 earthquake, officials said.

Arson inspectors were investigating the fire, which began about 3:00 a.m. along a residential block in the Mission District and quickly spread, said Fire Chief Fred Postel.

No one was injured in the blaze, which was extinguished by 6 a.m., officials said. One of the stately but damaged homes collapsed.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. workers shut off electrical power to the 300 block of Shotwell Street near 18th Street, where the fire raged.

More than 140 firefighters using 26 pieces of equipment fought the flames and evacuated about 30 residents on the block behind the fire, officials said.

Firefighters had difficulty attacking the blaze in the cracked and teetering homes, which were condemned after the 7.1 magnitude Bay Area earthquake that killed at least 67 people. Unable to enter the homes that had slipped off their foundations, firefighters used cranes and other equipment to fight the fire from outside, Postel said.

One week after the quake, neighbors along the block set up floodlights across the street on a warehouse balcony after two arson incidents did minor damage to one of the condemned buildings, Postel said.

Wednesday night was the first night since the neighborhood watch began that the lights had been turned off, Postel said. Police had also been making frequent patrols of the block, he said.

“The lights went out and the fire started,” said Postel.

Smoke from the conflagration drifted over U.S. 101 as holiday traffic began to fill the lanes. Spectators held back by police barricades along Shotwell Street stood on side streets peering at the blaze.