According to a shocking report from the San Francisco Standard, a small business owner in San Fransisco faced being charged with a multi-hundred dollar medical bill from the fire department after he called 911 to report a fire close to his door on December 23, 2023. The fire had reportedly been sparked by a homeless encampment nearby.
That business owner is Mustafa Damrawi, who owns an “adult products” and women’s apparel store called Hot Zone. According to the San Francisco Standard’s report, Mr. Damrawi claims he was charged $560 by the San Francisco Fire Department in the form of a medical services bill after he called 911, with the bill coming about two months after the call.
The bill Mr. Damrawi received, and displayed to the San Francisco Standard for review and evidence, was dated March 7, 2024, stamped with the San Francisco Fire Department seal, and said, “This is your third notice.” The invoice added, “Please respond immediately to avoid further collection activity.” Commenting on the bill, he said, “Am I supposed to just sit around watching the fire? This building is wood. It’s going to burn.”
Making the incident even more outrageous is that the fire about which Mr. Damrawi called was sparked by a persistent homeless encampment, a drug use hotspot in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, one known for its constant crime. According to the San Francisco Standard, fires started by homeless encampment occupants have skyrocketed, doubling in just the last five years.
San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Justin Schorr said that the bill was unintentional and came after an unnamed individual was transported to the hospital for treatment after the incident and marketed Damwari’s business as their home. “We encourage anyone who believes they are witnessing a fire or medical emergency to call 911 immediately,” Schorr said. He continued, “This issue should be resolved as soon as the billing company is notified of our direction.”
However, Damrawi says that the incident has led to his being afraid to call emergency services and report incidents in his area, as he is afraid of getting bills even as crime in his area rages out of control. Further, the out-of-control crime has destroyed his ability to earn money with his business. “The girls don’t like to come here because it’s scary,” Damrawi said. “This is San Francisco, the most beautiful city in the world; how did it become like this?”
His troubles come as other Tenderloin district residents sue the city over the out of control homeless situation and rampant crime, claiming that the city’s refusal to enforce the law in their neighborhood has made it unliveable. Their lawyer, in a statement on the suit, said, “They demand an end to the rampant illegal street vending, and from the squalor and misery that exists throughout their neighborhood because The City has decided that people in the throes of addiction can live and die on the Tenderloin’s streets.”
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Watch ABC 7’s report on the matter here: