SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A two-alarm fire at a homeless encampment in West Oakland putting up a lot of smoke on Monday.
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The blaze, which ignited at around 10:20 a.m., burned at 34th Street and Wood Street just under I-880. Officials at the Oakland Fire Department are indicating that multiple cars, debris and RVs have caught on fire.
Fire crews reported witnessing multiple explosions since they arrived at the scene, which is a concern and a threat to the safety of the firefighters.
"Everything from propane to other pressurized cylinders including a settling cylinder," Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman said. "As the chief of the department, I'm walking the scene, I'm able to wear a mask. Some of my firefighters don't have that opportunity, so they are inhaling a lot of hazardous smokes and fumes."
There are no reports of any injuries, but many residents of the encampment have been evacuated from the area.
The fire may be the largest the homeless encampment has seen, but it's definitely not the first. "Sadly we have a fire like once a week," Max, a resident at the encampment, told KCBS Radio on Monday. He was sleeping when the two-alarm fire broke out. It quickly spread to RVs, tiny homes and an abandoned train trestle.
"This one was significantly larger," he said. "The trestle burned pretty bad once before, this time I think it may have burned completely down in one second."
For months previous to the blaze, Caltrans has been cleaning up the homeless encampment, which mushroomed in size during the pandemic.
Smoke from the fire stopped traffic for a time before crews could get the blaze under control. Engineers will be brought in to ensure the safety of the I-880 super structure.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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