Fire guts family-owned San Francisco hardware store, one hospitalized

SAN FRANCISCO - A longtime San Francisco hardware store went up in flames Sunday morning, sending one person to the hospital and causing major damage.

Plywood now covers up the former glass front door to Great Wall Hardware, next to the 76 gas station on Taraval, near 29th in San Francisco’s Sunset District.

Firefighters battled the flames around 4 a.m. Sunday after a neighbor heard a startling sound.

"I was up around 4 a.m. to use the bathroom and I heard an explosion," said Dominik Mosur, who lives across the street, "It was a really loud boom."

Owner Albert Chow tells us the fire gutted his family business, which has served the Sunset neighborhood since 1983.

"Looks like a train wreck in there, and that’s kind of hard," Chow told KTVU.

The fire sent smoke into the two apartments above the store, forcing three people out of their homes, including Chow’s mother, the founder of the store, who was taken to the hospital after inhaling smoke.

"But she, she’s okay," said Chow who showed KTVU the damage inside the front of the store.

He believes the flames broke out around a now boarded-up display window, but can’t figure out how.

"You got me," said Chow. "I don’t know."

Chow estimates the damage at around a quarter million dollars.

"The hardware stores in the city, if you’ve been inside, they usually have lots of items piled up the aisle ways are very narrow," said Rescue Capt. Justin Schorr of the San Francisco Fire Department.

The store supports three employees and serves countless customers, with some stopping by to console Chow after the fire.

"Oh, it’s devastating. It’s very sad to see," said Angie Petitt. "It was really heartbreaking to get the news. He’s a very active and very involved community member."

Chow is also a contractor, and after surveying the damage, feels confident there’s nothing inside he can’t handle fixing.

"I think Great Wall Hardware’s going to be back," said Chow.

The fire department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Chow said the building is still in good shape structurally.

He plans to reopen as soon as possible, but he doesn’t know how long it will take to clean up the mess.