Blaze guts home of ex-noisy neighbor

Fire called accident -- owner plans to leave neighborhood

Thursday, November 30, 2006

The home of a San Francisco man who once tormented his neighbors by tracking them with surveillance cameras and blaring music from the roof went up in flames Wednesday, in what firefighters called an accidental blaze.

The two-alarm fire broke out just after noon near the water heater in Don Bertone's home at 336 Lathrop Ave., in a southeastern neighborhood known as Little Hollywood. Firefighters believe heat from the appliance ignited fumes from a nearby can of gasoline.

The gasoline powered a generator that was supplying electricity to the home. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. cut off power to Bertone a few weeks ago while he was in jail, one of several stints he has spent behind bars this year as a result of anti-social behavior toward his neighbors, as well drug and weapons charges.

Bertone, 55, was upstairs when the fire started but escaped unharmed. Firefighters estimated that damage to the three-bedroom home totaled about $200,000.

Neighbors have long complained to authorities about Bertone, who once worked for the San Francisco Housing Authority as a plumber and ran unsuccessfully for the Board of Supervisors in 2000. Bertone put up surveillance cameras, illuminated the street with floodlights, and blasted salsa and rap music and police scanner calls from rooftop speakers.

Police allegedly found weapons and drugs in several raids at the house, and judges have concluded repeatedly that he violated court orders not to bother his neighbors.

Some of the charges are still pending. Bertone was recently released from jail on bail after a judge dismissed weapons and other charges, saying a search warrant was improper. The same judge had signed the original warrant.
Since returning to Lathrop Avenue, Bertone has been well-behaved, neighbors said Wednesday.

"He's kind of quieted down,'' said the owner of the home next door, Hayward Antoine, who was in his house at the time of the blaze.

Debris piled in Bertone's yard next to Antoine's property did not catch fire.

The walls of Bertone's home were intact, but the fire burned through the roof timbers as well as the ceiling of the first floor. The roof had been cleared of milk crates and other debris that neighbors had complained about earlier, but several doors were still piled there and an array of radio antennas remained.

The side fence is still topped with hubcaps, and barbed wire blocks the gap between Bertone's home and his neighbors.

Bertone, standing outside the gutted shell of his stucco home, said insurance will cover the damage. But he added that he has no intention of rebuilding.

"It's a total loss,'' he said. "I won't stay. I'll leave as soon as I can get away.''

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