Battery Fire at Sixth Street SRO Sends One Resident to the Hospital

There was a large fire department and police response near Sixth and Market streets Wednesday night, which stemmed from a fire inside an SRO unit.

The fire broke out just after 9 pm Wednesday in a room on the fourth floor of the Seneca Hotel at 34 Sixth Street, a single-room-occupancy hotel.

The San Francisco Fire Department said on social media that the fire had been contained to the room of origin, but left the room's occupant injured.

The fire victim's condition is not known.

The Chronicle reports that the cause of the fire is believed to be a lithium ion battery.

The SFFD has previously said that lithium-ion battery fires tripled in frequency between 2013 and 2023, with the rise of mobility devices like e-scooters, and these fires hit a record high of 58 recorded in the city in 2022. This led to new city legislation two years ago changing the fire code for the charging of personal mobility devices (PMDs). This included a ban on the use of extension cords or power strips to charge PMDs indoors.

Over a ten-year period, lithiu-ion battery fires were estimated to have caused $10.6 million in property damage in San Francisco, as well as 13 injuries, and one death.