6 Killed, Including at Least 4 Children, in Fire at San Francisco Housing Project

A fire ripped through a home as a family slept early Saturday, killing six people, including at least four young children, authorities said.

The three-story home in a public housing project in the Hunters Point district was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived shortly after 1:30 a.m., authorities said. The cause was unknown but arson investigators ruled out foul play.

The victims included the family matriarch, identified by neighbors as Lois Evans. She cared for a young daughter, her grandchildren and her sister’s grandchildren, said Dorothy Smith, a longtime next-door neighbor.

The children ranged in age from 7 months to 8 years, Smith said.

“These little children were happy little children,” she said. “They were happy, cute little kids.”

The fire started in the living room and raced up the stairs to the second-floor bedrooms, trapping the residents, investigator Brendan O’Leary said.

Three bodies were found in one bedroom, two in another and one in the bathroom, he said. Coroner’s officials identified them as four children and two adults, but neighbors believed five of the dead were young girls.

One man, identified by neighbors as the father of one young victim, escaped unscathed, authorities said. He was not considered a suspect, fire spokesman Ed Campbell said.