Fire at SF homeless encampment spreads to Muni warehouse

The San Francisco Fire Department and the city Department of Public Works are mopping up a large diesel spill caused by a leaking big rig on Friday at 28th an Noe Streets in Noe Valley. The San Francisco Fire Department and the city Department of Public Works are mopping up a large diesel spill caused by a leaking big rig on Friday at 28th an Noe Streets in Noe Valley. Photo: Bill Hutchinson / The Chronicle Photo: Bill Hutchinson / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Fire at SF homeless encampment spreads to Muni warehouse 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A homeless encampment in an industrial area south of Potrero Hill in San Francisco was set ablaze on Thursday night and the fire quickly spread to an adjacent Muni warehouse, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage, officials said.

The Muni warehouse and equipment inside sustained about $68,000 to $70,000 worth of damage, investigators estimated, according to Officer Robert Rueca, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.

The fire at Third Street and Cargo Way, just south of the Islais Creek Channel, is the second in two days at a San Francisco homeless encampment. On Wednesday morning, a fire at an encampment at Seventh and Berry streets in the Mission Bay neighborhood was quickly extinguished but sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky.

Firefighters responded to Thursday’s blaze about 11 p.m., and it only took about 10 minutes to extinguish, according to Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the San Francisco Fire Department.

Police believe the fire was deliberately set but were not made aware of any injuries, Rueca said.

“We don’t know if it was occupied at the time,” he said. “None of the people who may have been occupying it approached us.”

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com