A woman reportedly suffered severe burns and was hospitalized after a fire broke out in her overstuffed, single-room occupancy apartment unit in North Beach on Tuesday.
The fire broke out around 8:30 am Tuesday inside a tiny unit at 75 Fresno Street — a small alley between Broadway and Vallejo Street, off of Romolo Place, in North Beach. Smoke was reportedly visible coming out of the apartment window into the alley.
A spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department, Lieutenant Mariano Elias, tells the Chronicle that firefighters had difficulty opening the door of the apartment due to the "hoarding conditions" inside.
1 alarm fire on Fresno St. hoarding conditions encountered and 1 burn victim with serious injuries transported to the hospital. #SFFD pic.twitter.com/Brlm3AwdcX
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) February 10, 2026
The woman trapped inside consequently had to be rescued through the apartment window.
The elderly woman reportedly suffered second-degree burns on 75 percent of her body, and was rushed to the city's burn unit at St. Francis Medical Center.
The SFFD subsequently released the photo below of the 100-square-foot apartment unit, which was piled head-high with kitchen items, luggage, and much more.
It's certainly unclear where a person would live or sleep in that space!
The suspected cause of the fire has not been released.
