A fire that burned six buildings and displaced 57 people in San Francisco Saturday started in a mixed-use commercial/residential building that housed a hardware store on its ground floor, city fire officials said Monday.
Whether the flames ignited in Cole Hardware or one of four residential units above it was still under investigation, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter said.
“At this point, we are not confirming that it was the hardware store or the residential component that was the actual origin,” he said. The building is located at 3312, 3314 and 3316 Mission Street.
About half of those displaced lived in the adjacent, single-resident occupancy Graywood Hotel, according to a San Francisco Human Services Agency official.
The Fire Department said smoke alarms and sprinklers in the Graywood Hotel functioned during the fire, countering early reports that the systems may have failed.