9 Displaced by San Francisco Fire

Nine residents were displaced Sunday night after a residential fire in San Francisco’s Oceanview neighborhood damaged a home on the 100 block of Caine Avenue, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. Five of those residents required temporary housing after the blaze, which fire officials said destroyed the second floor and left the first floor with smoke and water damage. No injuries were reported in the initial public accounts of the fire. The cause remained under investigation as of Monday, according to fire officials. ### Where did the fire happen, and how extensive was the damage? The 100 block of Caine Avenue was the site of the fire, which broke out Sunday night in an Oceanview residence, according to the Fire Department account carried by Bay City News and published by SFGATE. Fire officials said the second floor was completely damaged in the blaze. Smoke and water damage spread to the lower floor, according to the same report. That combination left the property with enough damage to displace all nine residents who had been living there. ### How many people needed emergency housing? Five of the nine displaced residents required temporary housing, according to the Fire Department account published Monday. The public reports did not identify the residents by name. The San Francisco Fire Department directs people displaced by fires to the American Red Cross for immediate help with food, clothing and short-term lodging, including overnight shelter and temporary hotel stays, according to the department’s fire-damage assistance page. The city says that support is available to people forced from their homes by a fire. ### What help is available after a San Francisco fire? The San Francisco Human Services Agency offers an Emergency Rental Assistance Program for eligible households facing long-term displacement after a fire, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. The program can provide a one-time move-in payment for tenants in non-rent-controlled units or a monthly rent subsidy for tenants in rent-controlled units, the department says. San Francisco also offers a Displaced Tenant Housing Preference for affordable housing lotteries to tenants displaced by fire, according to SF.gov. The city’s tenant-displacement guidance says landlords must offer repaired units back to displaced tenants under the same terms and conditions that existed before the fire, subject to the rules laid out in the Rent Ordinance. ### What do displaced tenants need to do next? The Department of Building Inspection can provide information about whether a unit is habitable and when tenants may be able to retrieve belongings, according to the Fire Department’s fire-damage guidance. The Fire Department also says residents seeking insurance claims can request a fire report through its Bureau of Fire Investigation. Tenants who already receive CalFresh can seek emergency food replacement through the Human Services Agency, according to city guidance. The Fire Department’s published assistance materials also direct tenants to legal and tenant-rights groups for help navigating relocation and return-to-unit issues after a fire. ### What is still unknown about the Oceanview fire? The cause of the Caine Avenue fire remained under investigation Monday, according to the Fire Department account published by Bay City News and SFGATE. Public reports did not say where in the residence the fire started or how long crews were on scene. The next formal step for affected residents is likely to run through the city’s post-fire process: inspection of the building, access guidance for belongings, and applications for Red Cross or city housing assistance. San Francisco’s Fire Department says residents seeking long-term aid can contact the Human Services Agency’s fire-response team, while tenants seeking to return later may need documentation from fire investigators or housing officials.