Sounds like a hectic morning for the Fire Department as three separate fires broke out in the Castro - all around 16th and Market and all within an hour of each other between about 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. The first, a trash can fire behind a "locked and gated area" at 2248 Market St was reported at 4:25 a.m. and handily dealt with by the SFFD before a second fire broke out about a block away on 16th Street around 5 a.m.
According to the Fire Department, the 16th Street fire was "going pretty good" when they arrived and warranted the call for a second alarm. The second fire was doused by 6 a.m., but not before a third 2-alarm blaze was reported at a building under construction nearby at 17th and Hartford Streets.
As if the short time frame for the multiple fires wasn't suspicious enough, investigators determined the two structure fires started outside the buildings. BCN reports that investigators suspect the fires may be related, but requests for comment from the Bureau of Fire Investigation were politely declined while the investigation is still underway. We'll update accordingly, of course. In the meantime, no injuries were reported, but 17 residents of 3620 16th Street were temporarily displaced.
