Smoky close for Russian consulate in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — Acrid, black smoke was seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco and workers began hauling boxes out of the stately building in a historic area of the city yesterday, a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure.

The workers were hurrying to shut Russia’s oldest consulate in the U.S. ahead of today’s deadline.

The order to leave the consulate and an official diplomatic residence in San Francisco escalated an already tense diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Russian consulate said the closure would hurt both Russian and American citizens needing its services.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed U.S. “special services” intend to search the consulate today. She said the U.S. also plans to search apartments in San Francisco used by Russian diplomats and their families.

The State Department had no comment on the black smoke coming from the embassy in San Francisco, which triggered a visit from the San Francisco Fire Department.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene were turned away by consulate officials who came from inside the building. An Associated Press reporter heard people who came from inside the building tell firefighters that there was no problem and that consulate staff were burning unidentified items in a fireplace.