Tower residents flee flooding; city to investigate
A city building inspector was expected to investigate a high-end San Francisco apartment tower Monday after a broken water pipe sent residents fleeing to nearby hotels last week, city officials said.
The San Francisco Fire Department responded to 33 Tehama in the Transbay neighborhood on Friday after a 6-inch pipe burst on the 36th floor of the building, which residents identified as the rooftop. Water gushed out into hallways down multiple floors, creating hazardous conditions.
Patrick Hannan, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, said the agency was sending an inspector Monday morning “to determine if there is water damage or other code issues.”
Hannan said the agency would determine whether any building code violations occurred.
The 35-floor tower, which opened in 2018, continues to be off limits to residents except for short visits to gather belongings. Residents said they were notified by management on Sunday afternoon that their stays at either the Hilton Union Square or Parc 55 Hotel had been extended through Friday.
But some residents feared they will be displaced again as some of the hotel rooms need to be vacated for prior reservations. Posts on social media from frustrated residents claimed there was a lack of communication from apartment management about the situation and issues accessing units to retrieve belongings.
Apartment management did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the neighborhood where the building sits, said on Monday that he was been in touch with residents and senior management at real estate investment firm Hines, which owns 33 Tehama. He said some residents have expressed frustration about communication from management.
“My concern immediately is that there are lots of residents who have been displaced,” he said. “There is some uncertainly about their hotel accommodations,” and how long the stays will be for residents. Dorsey said he received a commitment from building ownership that “there is not an end date” and that lodging is “indefinite.”
A statement released Sunday evening by Willowick Residential, 33 Tehama’s property management firm, stated that a team is investigating the incident and is “working diligently to fix the problem.”
In February 2017, when 33 Tehama was being built, a construction mishap resulted the evacuation of hundreds of people in nearby buildings. Fire Department officials said that after the issue was addressed, the building itself was not compromised in any way.