The chromatic three-story Victorian on 22nd Street home to the Hua Zang Si — lodged in a former German Lutheran church — caught on fire Tuesday, October 22nd, around 5 p.m., causing major damage to the structure.
Videos uploaded to social media, which news outlets shared, showed flames coming out of the temple’s main structure yesterday night. An estimated 50 firefighters and first responders arrived at the scene at 5:27 p.m.; the Hua Zan Si Buddhist temple, located at 3134 22nd Street, saw its vibrant exterior dull with smoke as firefighters hurried to put out the fire … City officials said the fire broke out inside the nun’s living quarters associated with the temple and spread to other rooms.
The 2nd alarm fire on the 3100 block of 22nd St. has been extinguished and turned over to the responsible party. This was the residence of the Buddhist temple next door. 3 cats and 1 dog were rescued between 2 buildings. 15 are displaced with 4 needing the American Red Cross. 1… pic.twitter.com/YPzY9BgfOL
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) October 23, 2024
The fire also affected a neighboring residence, requiring additional evacuations — of both humans and pets alike.
“Three cats and one dog were rescued between two 2 buildings,” reads a post on X by the San Francisco Fire Department. “15 are displaced with 4 needing the American Red Cross. 1 firefighter suffered a minor injury.”
By 6:28 p.m., the fire was contained and roadways near the scene were cleared and opened up.
According to SFPD, one firefighter sustained minor injuries and was treated at a nearby hospital; it’s unclear the extent of any injuries the displaced might’ve suffered.
Opened in 2004, the Hua Zang Si temple in SF’s Mission District practiced “authentic Buddhism in the United States based upon all exoteric Buddha-dharma and the esoteric Buddha-dharma of Tibet,” according to the temple’s website. On the temple’s first floor is the Shakyamuni Buddha Hall on the first floor; the second floor is called the Amitabha Buddha Hall, which houses the large circular mandala that has a Yun sculpture depicting Mt. Sumeru is placed — contains one of the temple’s eight sacred relics; the top floor houses a library of Buddhist scriptures.
As of publishing, it’s unclear the extent of the damage the temple sustained and whether or not the 21-foot-tall statue of Amitabha Buddha, one of, if not the largest Buddha structures in the Bay Area, was cracked; the cause of the residential fire is under investigation.
Feature image: Courtesy of screenshot via SFPD
