Five Alarm Fire

Yesterday, the bureau chief was driving over the top of our hill and saw a huge column of black smoke in the sky, It appeared to be rising from Potrero Hill. Turns out the column was coming from a neighborhood further away but was so immense that it appeared closer. The view from the back deck was blocked by buildings so it was necessary to climb to the roof of the bureau.

A high-rise apartment building, which was under construction in Mission Bay, had caught fire. The building was a complete loss.

According to today's SF Chronicle, the building would have had 172 apartments. In a city desperate for more housing, that was a big setback.