Fire department report calls 5-alarm Mission Bay fire accidental

The San Francisco Fire Department released a report Tuesday morning finding that a five-alarm fire that destroyed an apartment building under construction in the city's Mission Bay neighborhood last month was accidental.

The massive blaze was reported shortly before 5 p.m. on March 11 at the site at Fourth and China Basin streets, where a 172-unit building was under construction as part of the MB360 development project by BRE Properties.

There were no fire detectors installed yet in the unfinished six-story building, according to the report.

The building was expected to be ready to start leasing later this year. Another nearby site of the project with 188 units under construction was not affected by the blaze.

The building, which was under construction with building contractor Suffolk Construction Co., was completely destroyed after the fire spread from the top story.

According to the report, the fire was accidentally sparked on the sixth-floor roof area by a hot or smoldering object.

The fire originated in the southeast section of the building between the top floor and the roof, the report states.

According to the report, the fire caused $40 million in property damage at the $60 million construction site.

Additional contents in the building, valued at $100,000, were destroyed in the blaze.

Surrounding apartment buildings were also damaged in the fire and residents were evacuated overnight.

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Fire department report calls 5-alarm Mission Bay fire accidental