Today, an emerging situation unfolded on the streets of San Francisco as the Fire Department responded to a fire activity near Taraval Street and 19th Avenue. According to KRON4, the area saw road closures at approximately 12:30 p.m. The SFFD shut down Taraval from 19th Avenue to 20th Avenue and worked alongside PG&E officials to address an undisclosed issue beneath the street surface.
As the fire crew hastened to manage the situation, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) rerouted the Taraval L buses to circumvent the affected stretch. Traffic slowed on the neighboring 19th Avenue as commuters were encumbered by the abrupt roadblock. At 1:10 p.m., the SFMTA announced that scheduled routes had returned to normal, a brisk recovery by any city's standards, KRON4 reported.
An alert sent out by ALERTSF earlier in the day had advised residents and travelers to avoid the area around Taraval Street and 19th Avenue and to expect traffic delays. They recommended seeking alternative routes and allowing for additional travel time, redirecting traffic to other thoroughfares that would serve as conduits to the rhythm of the city's movement.
The ordeal concluded with the fire department’s announcement at 1:20 p.m. that they'd controlled the situation and that roads were reopened, easing the earlier congestion. SFFD officials had also confirmed that no evacuations or shelter-in-place orders were in effect throughout the incident, according to KRON4.
