Tuesday, March 22, 2016

SF Fire Dept: Mission Arson Investigations Agendized

In January 2015, a devastating blaze at Mission and 22nd Streets left one person dead, scores of people and small businesses displaced and many questions about whether this was a case of arson were raised.

Since then, numerous folks in the Mission such as artist and community organizer Spike Kahn, reporter Laura Wenus of the Mission Local news site, myself and others have petitioned the San Francisco Fire Commission to hold a meeting about potential arsons in the Mission.


It pleases me to learn the commission and department brass on April 27 will hold their regularly-scheduled meeting at the Lick Middle School, 1220 Noe Street, near 25th Street and on the agenda are recent fires and status of investigations. 

The agenda for tomorrow's meeting, March 23 starting at 5 pm in Room 400 in City Hall, includes an item about next month's meeting. Putting the arson meeting on this month's agenda, I believe, shows the importance the department is putting on the April hearing.

I asked commission secretary Maureen Conefrey to confirm the Mission blazes will be discussed and if the meeting would air live on television. She replied:

"The Fire Marshal and his staff will address recent fires, including ones in the Mission along with the investigations of those fires. Per SFGOV TV, they will delay the 4/27/16 broadcast and have advised me that they will air a previous Fire Commission Meeting in that time slot. It looks like it might be a 6:00 start time."

Good to know the hearing will be taped and aired on SFGOV TV, in addition to being available for on-demand viewing. Let's hear what the arson investigators have to say in a month's time.

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