Nob Hill Four-Story Apartment Fire Spreads to Neighboring Building, One Hospitalized

A four-alarm fire ripped through a four-story wood-frame apartment at 1664 Larkin St., near the Washington and Larkin intersection, sending one person to the hospital and displacing multiple tenants. Flames raced up three floors and spread to neighboring structures, city officials said, in a response that drew roughly 110 to 120 firefighters.

Fire Chief Dean Crispen described the incident as a four-alarm emergency and said the fire “flames extended throughout the wood-frame structure” and “damaged adjacent buildings.” The call for help came in the early evening; the blaze was reported about 5:52 p.m. at Washington and Larkin and has been described as igniting just after 6 p.m. at 1664 Larkin St. Firefighters declared the fire under control by 7:46 p.m.

Emergency crews rescued three people and treated them at the scene, one woman in a wheelchair was carried from the building and two others were assisted down stairs, and emergency responders transported another person to the hospital in unknown condition. Local reporting and incident accounts put the size of the firefighting operation between 110 and 120 personnel; crews expected to remain on scene through the night to extinguish hot spots and maintain a fire watch.

Neighbors described heavy exterior damage. Resident Anna Albertson, who lives two floors above the unit where flames were seen, said, “I can see my apartment. It's charred on the outside. I don't know what's going on on the inside. I mean I can still see my curtains in the window, so I know it hasn't completely burnt out. But the one below it, the windows are totally shot. It looks like it's completely burnt, and it seems like it's still on fire. So yeah, it's pretty scary.”

The blaze tore through multiple addresses in close proximity; one local account described the fire as having “tore through three buildings.” Crews rescued one dog and one cat and reunited both with their owners. The Red Cross and the San Francisco Human Services Commission have been assisting displaced tenants with immediate needs and temporary shelter.

A GoFundMe started by family members identified tenants Jackson Hukari, Tyler Reed and Drew Nofsinger as among those who lost belongings, saying the three “had just recently moved into their first place out of college” and that “all of their belongings and nearly everything they’ve ever owned were lost in the fire.” Hukari said he and his roommates were away when the fire struck and called the community response “nothing short of remarkable and deeply touching.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation and a fire watch remained in place overnight as crews monitored hot spots. Officials said they will release additional details, including final counts of displaced residents and any official determination of origin, as the SFFD investigation continues.