SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The community is rallying around 12 people that were displaced in a three-alarm fire that broke out in the Lower Haight on Wednesday.
The fire destroyed the third and fourth floors and roof of a residential building at Divisadero and Haight streets. There was extensive water damage throughout the building, affecting a restaurant on the ground floor as well, according to the San Francisco Fire Department in a Twitter post on Thursday.
The Red Cross was notified about the displaced residents, but neighbors have decided to provide additional help as well.
A GoFundMe page was created on Thursday to raise money for the 12 people, who are "artists, immigrants, people with disabilities, and senior citizens who have lived in this rent-controlled building for decades," said the page. "Many of them were already living precariously on fixed incomes before this horrible event."
According to the page, the Red Cross is covering the cost for the residents to stay a couple of nights in a hotel. After that, residents will be eligible for up to three weeks of city-sponsored housing.
Otherwise, there aren’t any other immediate resources being made available for them.
"This means that more than one resident is at a high risk of homelessness," said the page. "These are lovely, kind, and generous folks who have contributed much to the life of the city and neighborhood over the years, and they simply don't deserve this."
The page aims to raise $60,000 total, which would come to about roughly $5,000 per resident or based on the degree of need. One resident has been tasked with collecting the funds and distributing them to the other 11 displaced residents.
So far, as of Friday afternoon, the page has raised more than $20,000.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. This latest fire comes just days after another fire in the same area displaced another 13 people. The two fires are not connected, according to SFFD.
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