North Beach fire victim identified

A man who died in an apartment fire in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood on Thursday night has been identified by the medical examiner’s office as 67-year-old Melvin Patterson.

Fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said the blaze that killed Patterson, a San Francisco resident, has not been deemed suspicious and that the cause remains under investigation.

Firefighters responded to the apartment in a 12-unit building located at 1050 Columbus Ave. at 10:01 p.m. Thursday and found smoke coming from third-floor windows, according to Talmadge.

Firefighters were able to help two elderly men out of the building. While medics pronounced Patterson dead outside of the building after unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate him, an 88-year-old man was treated for smoke inhalation and released.

The one-alarm fire was under control by 10:29 p.m. and crews contained the fire to the unit where it began, Talmadge said.