By Delfin Vigil
The San Francisco Chronicle
Copyright 2007 San Francisco Chronicle
All Rights Reserved
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — San Francisco fire investigators are looking into two fires — one that displaced 11 families from a South of Market apartment building and another in a Municipal Railway train storage barn, according to a fire dispatcher and a spokesman for the American Red Cross.
The apartment building blaze began just after 1 a.m. Sunday near a communal kitchen at the back of an upper floor of the three-story structure at 479 Third St., a fire dispatcher said. An arson specialist is investigating, the dispatcher said.
The two-alarm fire was brought under control by 1:32 a.m. By Sunday afternoon at least one resident had suffered a minor injury — swelling on her leg from a burn.
“My sister smelled the smoke first and opened the kitchen door to find the fire and we think she got burned. She was too shocked by the fire to even notice at first,” said resident Kiet Tang, 35.
Tang’s family of eight, including a 21-month-old child, spent Sunday collecting what was left of their belongings from the four rooms they rent.
Of 17 displaced residents, three will stay with family members, and 14 are being put up in hotels, according to Woody Baker-Cohn, an American Red Cross representative.
William Levat, who owns and lives in the building, said the fire may have started in the office building next door. He is awaiting an estimate on the damages.
The owner of the adjacent office building said it was empty at the time of the fire and was not seriously damaged. He believes the fire originated in the residential building.
About 6:29 a.m., the dispatcher said, a separate fire broke out at the Municipal Railway train storage barn at 2200 San Jose Ave.
The fire, which was contained by 6:52 a.m., is believed to have been related to an electrical problem inside one of the train cars, the dispatcher said. Muni representatives were not available for comment Sunday.