San Francisco Fire Department credits quick action for limiting damage after multi-building Richmond fire

A three‑alarm fire that began June 6 in the Richmond District spread rapidly through attic and rear structures of adjacent three‑story wood‑frame buildings, displacing 35 people and injuring one firefighter, San Francisco Fire Department officials said.

Chief of Department Dean Crispin and Deputy Chief Patrick Rabbit told the San Francisco Fire Commission on June 11 that the initial fire began in a one‑story rear structure and quickly spread vertically through parallel rooflines into neighboring buildings. The department elevated the event to a multiple‑alarm response as structural members failed and firefighters had to shift tactics.

“From the reports of on‑scene companies, the fire began in the rear,” Crispin said. He told commissioners fire investigation remains ongoing and that identifying origin and cause will be challenging because of the damage.

Deputy Chief Patrick Rabbit described how an early partial collapse in the rear cut off hose‑line advances and forced a defensive posture before crews were able to transition to offensive operations from the front. “The fire was ahead of us as we arrived on scene. It quickly traveled vertically through the walls of the fire building into the attic space above,” Rabbit said, adding that swift action by initial companies and clear incident command prevented a larger conflagration.

The department reported 35 people displaced; the American Red Cross sheltered those residents and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency provided a Muni bus to support evacuees. There was one minor firefighter injury and no civilian fatalities, officials said.

Crispin and Rabbit said the incident required coordination among multiple battalion and chief officers and will be the subject of an after‑action review. Fire investigators and the Fire Marshal’s office continue work on origin and cause and expect to report back to the commission in a future meeting.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Balboa Street; the primary fire building was listed as 579 Fifth Avenue, according to remarks to commissioners.

Commissioners asked about possible lessons from recent civil unrest in Los Angeles involving burning autonomous vehicles; Crispin and Rabbit said the department’s policy is to coordinate with the San Francisco Police Department and that, unless a vehicle fire threatens structures, incident commanders may allow such fires to burn rather than tying personnel and hose lines to a single location.