Treasure Island fire guts warehouse

Fire crews battle a three-alarm fire at an abandoned warehouse on Treasure Island.
Photos by Mark Grissom, special to Fog City Journal

By Caitlin Cassady

May 17, 2007

A three-alarm fire in a Treasure Island warehouse was contained around 1 a.m., San Francisco Fire Lt. Ken Smith said this morning.

Fire crews battled the flames for around an hour and 40 minutes, according to Smith, and 130 fire personnel were at the warehouse to help fight the fire. The one-story wood-framed building is located at the intersection of Avenue H and Fifth Avenue.

Two fire units stationed on Treasure Island responded to the flames Wednesday around 11:15 p.m. and immediately upgraded the fire to a two-alarm. Six fire units stationed within San Francisco joined the crews on the island and the fire was upgraded to a three-alarm at 11:48 p.m., Smith said.

Fire crews were joined by the San Francisco fireboat, because there was not enough water pressure on the island to supply the six rigs that were fighting the flames, Smith said. San Francisco's portable pressure system was enabled so that fire trucks could hook up to hydrant junctures that provided water, which was being pumped directly out of the bay through the five-inch hose.

"The portable system takes a long time to set up, but once it is active it's a very effective way to fight fires,'' Smith said.

This is the first time that fire crews have had to use the five-inch portable system since the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Fire crews were in defensive mode, Smith said, because the warehouse was abandoned and there were no other buildings that were in danger.

"We aren't used to letting a fire burn freely in San Francisco, because there are so many buildings and people, but in this case it was better to let the building burn than risk the lives of firefighters,'' Smith said.

Parts of the building are still standing, but most of the roof has collapsed, according to Smith. Crews will be at the warehouse all night to ensure that the fire is completely put out.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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