A construction mishap high atop an under-construction skyscraper sent part of San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood into disarray Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Fear that an unstable 2,000-pound wall of concrete could topple from the high-rise at 33 Tehama St. triggered city officials to evacuate hundreds of people from at least 16 office buildings, close nearby streets and shut down the westbound Interstate 80 exit ramp at Fremont Street, one of the busiest in San Francisco.
But by 9 p.m., Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the San Francisco Fire Department, declared “we are safe.” He said the surrounding streets and highway off-ramp had been reopened.