1980 First Enterprise Bank Building
260 Montgomery Street
July 31, 1980
Box 1235 - 12:03 a.m.
FIFTH ALARM

FIREFIGHTER KILLED IN BLAZE
13 OTHERS HURT IN DOWNTOWN 5-ALARM FIRE

1980 July 31
A veteran firefighter died and 13 were injured when a five-alarm fire swept through an old financial district building after midnight today. Temporary Battalion Chief Herbert Osuna, 56, was trapped with several men when an inner stone wall and roof of the five-story building at 260 Montgomery St. collapsed on them while they were working their way up blazing stairwell to the roof.

Osuna and the other firefighters were caught beneath the rubble, and it was at least ten minutes before they could be dragged to safety.

Fire Lt. Dick Fall said he another firefighters made their way to the fourth floor of the burning structure and were about to hand up some firehose to Chief Osuna and his men “when it all came down.”

“We were down below them, Fall said. We had just handed them the line and were on the fourth floor when everything….men, rocks, walls, came falling down.

The next thing I remembered doing was starting to dig out the men who were buried. Osuna was pulled from under the pile of stones and had apparently form the wall of the old building. He was not breathing, but ambulance crews revived him and he was alive when rush to Mission Emergency Hospital.

The veteran of almost 30 years in the fire department lived for 45 more minutes. 12 doctors worked to save him, but he died at 1 am one hour and 52 minutes after the first alarms pulled.

Osuna who had returned from vacation yesterday was leading the men Engine One, at Fifth and Jessie streets, Truck One, and Rescue One as they moved through the burning building. He also had just started as a temporary battalion chief yesterday.

The 13 other firefighters injured in the blaze were treated at St. Francis Hospital release with minor cuts, bruises and in some smoke inhalation.

The first alarm was sound at 12:03 a.m. after a cab driver, John Tufts, noticed the flames the First Enterprise Bank building, which occupies most of the second floor 256-260 Montgomery St. The bank also has offices in the upper floors; many of the offices have been rented to other companies.

Fire Chief Andrew Casper estimated the damage to the building at $225,000 and said the damage to the interior was considerably more.

Casper said the cause of the blaze was not immediately known the investigators were at the scene today to determine what might have started.

A second alarm was pulled at 12:06 as arriving units to see the top floors engulfed in flames. The third alarm came at 12:09, the fourth at 12:26 a.m. and a fifth alarm sounded after the walls collapsed inside the building.

In all, 150 firefighters fought the blaze, which apparently started on third floor of the brick building.

Besides Osuna and the 13 injured men, and dozens of other firefighters were caught inside the building after the walls as the roof, floors and walls caved in.  But most were able to fight their way to the street.

Two paramedics went into the burning building after the walls collapsed to rescue Osuna and his men. They were Bob Smith and Joe Gerusa from Central Emergency Hospital who were the first of three ambulances to arrive at the scene.

Gerusa said Chief Osuna “was not breathing when we got to him, but we managed to bring him back all the way to the hospital he kept fading in coming back.”

In keeping with the S.F.F.D. tradition, Osuna lead his men into the building and directed the fighting of the blaze from there. As he and his men moved up into the building, Osuna took off his mask to caution his men and give orders. Some of the firemen with him said they thought Osuna might have collapsed from the super heated air.

Chief Andrew Casper said Osuna undoubtedly saved the lives of several firemen by ordering the men to turn back to safety and move away from the stairwell.

“I will ask that Chief Osuna receive a posthumous meritorious award.” Casper said, “because his action very possibly saved many lives.

When Osuna and others became caught beneath the rubble, at least 10 minutes pasted before they could be dragged to safety.

Jim Scott, aide a fire chief, paid tribute to Osuna, calling him a “helluva fireman. I can tell you that.”

Osuna lived in Walnut Creek.

“I have been in the department of 11 years,” Scott said,” and he was at Engine One when I first came in. He was lieutenant there and made captain there.

He knew his job. He knew what to do and he did it.
Source: San Francisco Examiner, Thursday, July 31, 1980, by James Schermerhorn

Engine Company No. 10
655 Presidio Avenue
By Firefighter Bill Koenig

On October 30, 1980, I was working my scheduled watch on Engine 10. Just after midnight, on the 31st, we responded as the second due on the third alarm at 260 Montgomery St; it was a straight shot for us right down Bush Street. That day I was working with Lt. Bob Boudoures, driver Al Jones, and firefighter Skip Ohlson.

When Lt. Boudoures reported to Chief of Department Andy Casper, we were able to look at the building, which was extremely narrow, with only one fire escape ladder in the front. The Chief ordered us to the 3rd floor. Walking to the fire escape, I told Skip to stay between Bob and myself as he had just graduated from the fire college.

At the fire escape, there was a crowd of firefighters all waiting to go up. I became separated from Bob and Skip; I thought that I could catch up with them on the third floor, but once there, I found working second alarm companies who were looking for fire extension. I could see Bob and Skip ahead of me, heading for the narrow wooden staircase going up to the fourth floor. It was located along the buildings' south brick wall without any railing on the open side.

Lt. Boudoures and Skip had taken over the hose line of Engine 1, who had gone out to change their empty Scott bottles. Engine 10 was now the first to reach the top of the stairs and began to extinguish the fire on the fourth floor. Behind them were Rescue One and others. There was a firefighter on each step, body to body. I was at the foot of the stairs.

Without warning, the buildings' brick walls above us partially collapsed. There was a tremendous roar as bricks, sections of bricks in blocks, and tons of dust flying through the air. The collapse caused firefighters to be thrown in every direction. If there were fifteen men on the stairs before, only four or five were left.

I was still at the foot of the stairs with debris above my ankles, when Captain Dennis Callahan, Engine 2, who was now ahead of me up the staircase, turned back to me and said, "we have a trapped firefighter."  I freed myself and joined the Captain.

A large floor safe from the fifth floor had crashed through our staircase and continued to the basement. The safe created a sizeable hole in the center of the staircase; it brushed by a firefighter and dragged him into the hole. The Scott air-pack on his back stopped him from going through to the second floor. Additional debris fell around the waist of the trapped firefighter. Captain Callahan checked for a pulse and finding none, radioed for paramedic help. He turned to me and said it is Chief Osuna.

Captain Callahan began desperately digging with his hands. I held on to his officers' belt to keep him from sliding into the hole. Two paramedics squeezed by us to attend to the Chief. Eventually, Chief Osuna was lowered to the second floor and transported to the hospital.

When the walls partially collapsed, Lt. Boudoures was thrown forward onto the fourth floor; Skip Ohlson was tossed to his right, falling 12 feet down onto the third floor. Others on the staircase also landed on to the third floor, and huge brick boulders trapped many. Nearby was Truck 2, a crew of bodybuilders, who all experienced a kick-in of adrenalin, and each began moving huge sections of bricks, that would typically take three men to move, off of trapped firefighters. Additional equipment was brought to the second floor to release others who were trapped.

I began looking for Bob and Skip, but couldn't find them. On the third floor, I stopped and spoke with Lt. Joe Cliff, Engine 41, who told me there was a (rarely used) roll-call going on. Firefighters were scattered all over the building and separated from their companies. No one knew where anyone was or their condition.

I went outside to the command post and checked in. I told the Chief that I could not find Lt. Boudoures and Skip Ohlson. I was told they were transported to the hospital with injuries. Then he told me I was one of the last to check-in. The Chief ordered that we, Engine 10, were released from the fire and to go back into service as 0 and 2, no officer-two firefighters.

Al Jones and I rode back to our firehouse in silence, arriving at about 4:00 a.m.

Now 40 years later, I still think of this fire and how close I came to losing my life.

Back to the Top