The fire as seen from Great Highway and Balboa.
Early Saturday morning around 4am, the SFFD was called to the corner of 48th and Balboa. A fire had broken out up above in Sutro Heights Park.
The flames, which could be clearly seen from the street below, were extinguished in about 15 minutes.
But reaching the blaze was a challenge for fire crews. The fire burned at the top of the steep stairs that run up from Balboa into the backside of Sutro Heights Park.
Fire hoses were attached to a hydrant at the corner of 48th and Balboa, and firemen had to carry the hoses up a narrow trail and then ascend forty or so stairs to reach the location of the fire. All in total darkness.
Reader Gabriel L., who lives nearby, talked to the SFFD crew on the scene, who told him the fire was one that had been set.
The area where it occurred is known in the neighborhood for attracting homeless, and it’s possible the fire was a campfire gone awry.
Alongside the top of the stairs that run up from Balboa is a fence that borders the back of one of the properties on upper 48th Avenue. The unsecured fence provides a discreet camping spot for homeless, and is a favorite for graffiti vandals.
“It is a notoriously unmaintained property. That site is clearly known as an encampment for the homeless,” reader Jason J. said in an email about the fire.
The fire destroyed part of the fence, as well as some tree limbs that had to be cut down by fire crews.
Residents were appreciative of the quick work that the SFFD made of the blaze.
“The Fire Department did a tremendous job of knocking the fire down,” Jason said, and Gabriel wrote to say, “I hope you put some kind of thank you on the blog.”
Thanks to Jason and Gabriel for their reports and pics.
Sarah B.
A diagram showing where the SFFD set up at 48th and Balboa. The red line illustrates the path they took with their hoses to fight the blaze.
The charred remains of the fire on Saturday morning. Pieces of the fence can be seen in the pile of debris.
Minor correction: The red line’s horizontal segment runs between the 2 buildings at the tail end of 48th ave. (the place where it’s listed currently is impassable). The truck was at the end of the paving, just south of the multi-story apartment building.
The northern parcel has a big patch of poison oak just over the fence, in addition to a prodigeous amount of camper-strewn garbage. The southern parcel, also unmaintained, seems to have been a Japanese-style garden in its previous life (1920s or 1930s perhaps). There are two old cement-lined pools, and several granite Japanese stone lanterns. Campers have been rearranging the lantern pieces and stacking them in odd combinations, plus using them as campfire stones/windbreaks.
Nice. I guess since they burned down the pool house they’ve moved on to trying to burn down actual residences.
After hearing siren after siren go by, I got out of bed and looked out the window to see all the smoke and the large orange glow. Right away I knew the fire was caused by the homeless. Luckily the wind was blowing west toward the ocean or the results could have been far worse. Good job by the SFFD!
In 1973 the owner of the middle house of the 3 at end of Sutro Hts. st./48th ave, Dr. W.Aulfred Hetherington called CCSF for a student gardener. My shackup Betty’s Mom in the CCSF office gave me the job. Dr. H. is descended from Sir Francis Drake, & a Hetherington street in Marin is his family.
Retired Botany prof. from UC Davis, Dr. H. had me building rock walls and weed, and plant. He tried repeatedly to keep goldfish in his ponds, but raccoons got them immediately. The beach bums who invaded his double-lot backyard he called “the bastards”. He and wife Blenda had a son who I hear is going to rehab the place.
By the way, I see a Terry Weinberg in the big list for this site. One Sunday summer of 1972 shackup Betty and I hitchiking to Pamplona for the running of the bulls got picked up outside Toulouse, France by Terry & his wife Miya(daughter of Thomas Albright, architectural critic of the Chron) who drove us to Hendaye on the Spanish border. Thanks, Terry!
BLENDA? *danny thomas spit take*
Mrs. Hetherington was indeed Blenda, named in 1898 before blenders.
Also, Terry Weinberg of 35th ave picked us (of 26th ave. & 27th ave.) up south of Tours, France, where the Moslem advance was stopped in 770’s by Charles “the Hammer” Martel.