A Wednesday fire at the 40-story Paramount apartment tower at Mission and Third streets has left hundreds of tenants without electricity or running water, and very limited elevator service to navigate the building’s dozens of floors.
While only one person has yet reportedly been treated by paramedics, the SF Standard reports that a Wednesday fire at the Paramount apartment building (680 Mission Street, at Third Street) has done significant material damage to the building and its facilities. Notably, per the Standard, “hundreds of tenants” have been left without electricity or running water, and stairwells were described as “pitch-black.” Some tenants also say they were left stuck on elevators, and had to be rescued by SF Fire personnel.
The fire apparently started Wednesday morning in the main electrical room of the 387-apartment unit building. PG&E said that they were notified of power loss at 1:44 pm Wednesday afternoon. But by Wednesday night, the building also reportedly lost running water.
"The stairwells were completely blacked out. No exit signs. We were in an abandoned, vacant building," resident Dylan Dawson told the Standard. "Losing running water and access to elevators — that's a real issue."
The Standard reports that as of Thursday morning, one elevator’s service had been restored, albeit as temporary service.
A Paramount building spokesperson admitted the fire caused the electrical outage.
"We are in touch with all of our residents and providing accommodations while repairs are made. We are in close coordination with PG&E and expect a temporary repair to be completed by [Thursday night] that will restore additional basic building systems," that spokesperson told the Standard Thursday. "Simultaneously, we are working around the clock to restore full power as soon as possible."
There is only one possible reported injury. The Standard says that an SF Fire paramedic crew “responded to assist a resident in the lobby on Thursday,” though the department refused to comment further. The Standard reporter was then apparently shooed from the lobby by management.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Image: Andrew D. via Yelp
