One-alarm fire rips through home of man recently targeted with racist threats

by Griffin Jones Fire crews enter the home of Carolyn, Luddie and Terry Williams at 11:35 a.m., shortly after a fast-moving fire engulfed the property. At 11:31 a.m. today, flames engulfed a two-story home at Grove and Fillmore Streets, recently the site of racist hate mail sent to Terry Williams, a lifelong figure in the Fillmore and local dog walker.& The one-alarm fire left the home in ruins and uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. Williams’ parents, Carolyn, 79, and Luddie, 82, were rescued by fire crews. Jonathan Baxter, San Francisco Fire Department Chief, said that Williams’ mother, Carolyn, was hospitalized in serious condition and Luddie was taken in moderate condition. “It was a very fast-moving fire,” said Baxter. “We’re thanking the people that called 911 early and got us here quick. One of the victims that was rescued didn’t have a minute left.” On April 26, Williams was the recipient of a terrifying racist package that included death threats, a noose, photos of Williams and his dogs, Ku Klux Klan paraphernalia and a blackface doll covered in statements like “GO PICK COTTON” and “WE FOUND YOU DICKHEAD.”& The incident was first reported by the SF Bay View on April 30....