San Francisco, CA- 3rd Alarm 4-29-06

[Truck4 48]

Date: 4-29-06

Time: 2020hrs

Location: 535-537-539 Grove St.

Departments: SFFD

Description: Fire in a large vacant P/D with extension to (2) exposures.

Writer: Truck4

From SFGate.com:

A three-fire alarm fire on Friday damaged three Hayes Valley houses, including two Victorians, fire officials said.

The fire began about 8:20 p.m. in a vacant Victorian that was undergoing renovation at 537 Grove St., and it spread to neighboring houses on each side. The fire was contained within an hour, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. The house where the fire originated sustained the most visible damage.

There were no injuries or fatalities, although residents from the neighboring houses were expected to be displaced, Hayes-White said. The smoke from the fire wafted over much of downtown San Francisco throughout the evening.

About 125 firefighters and 30 engines responded to the fire. The cause of the blaze was under investigation, Hayes-White said.

Residents of the block said the house has been under renovation for at least one year, and that drug dealers and users have broken into the house a number of times.