A five-alarm fire erupted at 29th and Mission streets shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, sending up a plume of smoke that could be seen around the city and affecting some six addresses near the intersection. Firefighters said they had searched a number of buildings and had not found any victims.
No major injuries to residents were reported, though three bystanders were treated for smoke inhalation. Some 40 tenants were displaced, several of them formerly homeless and one family that had been previously displaced by the 2015 fire on Mission and 22nd streets. Nine businesses were affected.
Firefighters advised anyone who lives within a five-block radius of the area to shelter in place and to shut their windows due to heavy smoke.
Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter said the fire appeared to have originated in the corner building at 29th and Mission -- a three-story structure with four apartments above a bar, the 3300 Club -- though that could not be confirmed. There was no immediate statement about the fire's cause.
Mayor Ed Lee arrived on the scene shortly before 5 p.m. to reassure the affected residents that the city would do all it could to help them recover. Lee said he would call on good Samaritans, including corporate ones like Airbnb, to help shelter the victims.