San Francisco firefighters extinguish brush fire near China Beach in Presidio

San Francisco firefighters extinguished a brush fire near China Beach in the Presidio after using technical rope access and a 2,500-foot hose lay to reach the steep cliffside burn area. On Saturday evening, the fire was confined to about 50 feet by 50 feet of dense brush and trees near 25th Avenue and El Camino del Mar, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area close to the Sea Cliff neighborhood.

No injuries were reported and no structures were threatened. Crews also dispatched a fireboat to help with the response.

China Beach sits in one of San Francisco’s most heavily visited coastal corridors, where steep bluffs, dense vegetation and narrow access points complicate firefighting even when flames remain small. The June 27 blaze stayed contained to a limited patch of brush, but the response required firefighters to work down and across difficult ground to get water to the seat of the fire.

The cause remained under investigation. A June 4 San Francisco Civil Grand Jury report found San Francisco’s wildfire hazard is not zero even though CAL Fire rates the city’s overall risk as low. Red flag warnings and Diablo wind events create several high-risk wildfire days each year, and aging eucalyptus groves and other wildland conditions add to the city’s exposure.

The San Francisco Fire Department has invested in training and equipment for wildfire suppression. The San Francisco Civil Grand Jury urged city agencies that manage wildland properties to work more closely with the department and to maintain Wildfire Mitigation Plans.