SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire on Friday, February 23 at about 10:35 a.m. on Sanchez Street near 18th Street. Fire officials took to social media to inform residents they contained the fire on the 500 block of Sanchez Street.
Assistant San Francisco Fire Chief, Nicol Juratovac, told reporters that firefighters had brought the fire under control by 12 p.m. There were no reports of any injuries reported during the blaze, but the home sustained significant structural damage.
Though detectives have not released any information regarding the investigation, the property does have a history with city officials. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, sued the home owner back in November 2015. According to reports, Herrera claimed that the property owner, Joel Elliott, was aware that the home was a drug haven.
In 2016, a judgement was ruled in favor of the city of San Francisco where Elliott was ordered to pay $1.7 million in fees, to fix housing code violations and to obtain proper permits for the property.
According to reports, Elliott informed reporters that no one was inside the building at the time when the fire started and that the home has been mischaracterized in the press. Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
