A September fire that sent flames through the trees at San Francisco’s Buena Vista Park was one of 23 outdoor fires reported along the park’s perimeter over the past year, including five that were confirmed to have started inside the park.
While occasional fires have always been common at Buena Vista Park in Upper Haight due to the park's heavy vegetation, neighbors say they're concerned about the increase in frequency and size of the blazes, which they largely attribute to unhoused people living in encampments there, as the Chronicle reports.
San Francisco Fire Department records show five confirmed fires took place inside the park over the past year, along with 18 other outdoor fires reported along Buena Vista Avenue, which wraps around much of the park.
The incidents reportedly include a September 2025 campfire in the park and a June fire that the fire department described as a “small homeless encampment fire,” with additional campfires reported along Buena Vista Avenue in October 2025 and May 2026. According to the Chronicle, an e-bike also caught fire near one of the park entrances.
Residents also reported hearing firecrackers coming from inside the park in late September 2026.
The most widely documented fire broke out on September 23, when smoke rose above the park and flames burned through the trees. According to the Chronicle, the fire department received a call around 9:30 pm and sent three engines. A Reddit user filmed the blaze from several blocks away.
James Leng, a Haight-Ashbury resident who saw the fire from his window, told the Chronicle he could hear the flames crackling when he went outside.
“It was very, very scary,” Leng said, speaking to the Chronicle.
Rasheq Zarif, president of the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, said fires are the most common complaint he hears from neighbors. He told the paper he wants more evening patrols to discourage camping in the park, along with better lighting and vegetation removal to limit the potential spread of future fires.
John Hooper, who has lived across from the park since 1982 and previously ran the neighborhood association, told the Chronicle fires happened there once a year when he arrived, although he remembers them as smaller and less threatening.
“I don’t think it’s malicious,” said Hooper. “It’s just cold out, and they have a light sleeping bag kind of thing.”
According to the Chronicle, the fire department said hydrants surround the park and crews regularly plan for fires there because of its steep, heavily vegetated terrain, including how to get equipment in, establish water supplies, and position firefighting apparatus.
The office of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose district includes the park, did not respond to requests for comment. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department referred questions to the Fire Department.
As SFist reported back in 2019, a suspected arsonist was arrested in connection to six fires that occurred at the park over the span of three weeks.
Related: Suspected Arsonist Arrested In String of Buena Vista Park Fires
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