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Fire marshal: 2015 citywide working fires fell to 191; Mission shows 18 structure fires, investigation backlog at 270
Summary
Fire Marshal Daniel D'Ocasio told the commission that 2015 had the fewest working fires in a decade (191) but the department still counts 270 open investigation reports citywide (31 in the Mission). He said prevention and neighborhood outreach are being expanded and that investigators aim to reduce backlog to roughly 50–70 cases.
Fire Marshal Daniel D'Ocasio told the San Francisco Fire Commission on Jan. 13 that the city recorded 191 working fires in 2015 — the lowest total in the last decade — while emphasizing that investigations and prevention work continue.
"For 2015, the number of working fires throughout San Francisco numbered 191," D'Ocasio said, adding that the Mission had 18 working structure fires. He said the department has 270 open fire-investigation reports citywide, of which 31 are attributed to the Mission, and described a three-step review process before reports are closed.
The presentation, requested as a follow-up at the commission's December meeting, gave commissioners new figures and prompted questions about the department's backlog definition and outreach in high-incidence neighborhoods. D'Ocasio said his investigators' run rate is about "1.2 a day" (roughly 30–35 investigations per month) and that the department is targeting a reasonable backlog level of about 50–70 files.
Commissioners pressed on causes and outreach. D'Ocasio said that, nationally, cooking equipment is the leading known cause of residential fires; in the Mission the largest known cause to date was electrical problems, accounting for roughly 28 percent of identified causes, with discarded smoking materials a secondary cause. He reiterated that many working fires are accidental, not incendiary.
Public commenters and commissioners urged improved transparency and local engagement. Michael Petrellis, who showed a short video during public comment, alleged a deputy created a safety hazard and said the department's written response failed to identify the deputy or specify what "appropriate action was taken." "There was no transparency about this investigation," Petrellis said, asking the Commission to investigate the department's handling of the complaint.
D'Ocasio responded that the Bureau of Fire Investigation and the Bureau of Fire Prevention are distinct units: investigations determine origin and cause while prevention develops targeted outreach products. He said the department is already developing neighborhood-focused fire-safety presentations and that arson investigators will accompany prevention outreach in some community meetings.
The Fire Marshal also told the board the department will be adding a separate complaint-processing section inside prevention to improve responsiveness and to work closely with the Department of Building Inspection on citations and hearings.
What’s next: Commissioners asked the department to refine how it defines a "backlog" versus a pending case, provide a time‑based breakdown of the 270 open files (for example, how many opened in the last 30 days), and to report back to the board and community on neighborhood outreach plans.
