SFPD Officers Rescue Residents and Pets During Mission District Fire 17-185

On November 29, 2017 at approximately 6:33 PM, Mission Station officers responded to a residential fire on the 1000 block of Shotwell Street. The officers observed smoke and flames and quickly took action.

Officers ran into the smoke-filled building to evacuate residents. Although the building was unoccupied, an evacuated resident told an officer that her cat was trapped in the attic of an adjacent building. The officer raced to the attic and retrieved the cat, bringing it outside to safety.

At an adjacent building which was also on fire, an officer heard a woman screaming for help. The officer located the woman and other residents in the backyard, which was only accessible through a locked security gate. An officer broke down a portion of a fence to safely evacuate the people who were trapped in the back yard.

Another officer observed a significant amount of smoke on the second floor of a separate building. Officers did not locate any residents during a search; however, when officers exited the building, a resident began screaming that her dog was still inside. An officer ran back inside the burning building, forced entry into the woman’s apartment, rescued the dog and brought it outside to its owner. The San Francisco Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. One person was treated at the scene for non-life threatening injuries.

“Our officers acted bravely and heroically. They went above and beyond the line of duty in a dangerous situation to rescue San Francisco residents and their beloved pets,” said Chief William Scott. “These SFPD officers demonstrated the true meaning of team work with each other and with our San Francisco Fire Department.”

Mission Station Command Staff are nominating these officers for a Medal of Valor.