Search Results for: "berkeley fire department"
Police investigate homicide on Grizzly Peak Boulevard
Update, 6:10 p.m. Lt. Alex Yao of the University of California Police Department said Grizzly Peak Boulevard has been re-opened to traffic. The victim has been identified as an adult male who was not affiliated with UC Berkeley. The Alameda County coroner’s office said information about the victim’s identity would need to come from police. Further details were not available Sunday night.
Original post, 2:53 p.m. Police are investigating the death of one person who was reportedly shot early Sunday morning on Grizzly Peak Boulevard between Centennial Drive and South Park Drive.
Earlier Sunday, the road was closed to through traffic as police continued their investigation and, as of about 2:40 p.m. it remained closed, police said. … Continue reading »
Pedestrian in critical condition after auto accident
A Berkeley man is in critical condition after being struck by a car while walking on University Avenue just west of San Pablo Avenue on Tuesday night, authorities said.
“We received multiple 911 calls at approximately 8:23 p.m.,” said Berkeley Police spokeswoman officer Jennifer Coats, via email at about 11:20 p.m. The man was taken by the Berkeley Fire Department to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. … Continue reading »
Xavier (Kayla) Moore’s death: The timeline
Late on Tuesday night, Feb. 12, Berkeley police responded to a dispatch call about a disturbance on Allston Way. Less than two hours later, Xavier (Kayla) Moore was pronounced dead at Alta Bates Hospital.
On Friday May 3, the Berkeley Police Department released its 348-page investigation of what happened that night, the same day that the Alameda County coroner’s report on the death was released. From the two documents, and the many sworn statements within them, it’s possible to reconstruct part of what happened that night.
Moore identified as female, using the name Kayla, but all of the police documents, the coroner’s report and the witness statements refer to Moore as a male.
Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013, around 5 or 6 p.m.
John Andre Hayes came home to apartment 514 in the Gaia Building on Allston Way early in the evening. According to Hayes, he and Moore are roommates and have known each other for 15 or more years. … Continue reading »
Berkeley unites for earthquake safety
An estimated 2,000 people took part in a city-wide exercise Saturday to help community members prepare for “the big one.” About 35 neighborhood groups, along with local businesses, the Berkeley Unified School District and members of the Northern Alameda County Amateur Radio team, participated in the earthquake drill, which was organized by the Berkeley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program of the Berkeley Fire Department.
Residents learned a range of skills, from how to locate and map gas and water shut-offs, to how to use a garden hose to put out a small fire. They listened to radio station 1610 AM for an emergency broadcast, and signed up to receive test messages from the Berkeley Emergency Notification System via phone and email. They located their two nearest fire stations, and called out-of-area contacts to practice what they might need to do should a major earthquake strike. Runners from community groups took messages to amateur radio operators who work with the city to help facilitate communication should traditional methods fail. Teams of firefighters drove assigned routes throughout the city to assess potential “damage” to determine the most pressing problems. Afterward, they visited neighborhood groups to speak with community members. … Continue reading »
Berkeleyside Police Blotter: Crime in Berkeley, April 18-24
This is a partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley, compiled by Berkeleyside, and based on reports to the Berkeley Police Department unless otherwise noted. See past crime blotters here. (Note to readers: We always appreciate tips, about breaking news or neighborhood safety issues, via email at tips@berkeleyside.com.)
The following items represent just a sampling of calls, and times may be approximate. From April 18-24, there were 13 burglary reports, 43 auto break-in or theft from a vehicle reports, and 14 stolen vehicle reports to the Berkeley Police Department, according to CrimeMapping.com. Five robberies and 19 assaults, domestic violence incidents or batteries were reported.
These numbers are subject to change. Click the previous links for the most current information. Police have also sent out a warning about multiple reports involving the “grandparent” scheme. Scroll to the bottom of this post for details.
April 18, Thursday
There were three home burglaries reported: at 8 a.m. in the 1900 block of Marin Avenue; at 12:30 p.m. in the 400 block of Michigan Avenue; and at 11:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Ashby Avenue. … Continue reading »
The It List: Five things to do in Berkeley this weekend
BE PREPARED A 6.9-magnitude earthquake will hit the Hayward Fault on Saturday, Apr. 27 — simulated in a citywide emergency preparedness drill. Sign up on the city page to participate in local neighborhood drills from 9 to 11 a.m. No matter what your level of community emergency response team (CERT) training, you’re welcome to join in the drills, feedback from experts, and then a citywide debriefing. Earthquake prediction remains a field filled with more noise than signal, but seismologists have consistently warned that the Big One is likely to hit the Hayward Fault in the foreseeable future. Read the Berkeleyside article on the emergency drill.
YOU EAT WHAT THEY FARM Family physician Daphne Miller traveled to seven innovative family farms around the country to uncover the connection between how we care for our bodies and how we grow our food. Miller will be talking about what she found in her visits and, while writing Farmacology, on Saturday, Apr. 27 at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, 2904 College Ave. Miller, who lives in Berkeley, is a practicing physician and professor of family medicine at UCSF, as well as a noted author. Her previous book, The Jungle Effect, looked at the healthy diets of poor native populations around the world. There’s a wine and cheese reception at The Dailey Method around the corner, immediately after Miller’s talk. … Continue reading »
Photo feature: 12 hours with the Berkeley Police
What does a 12-hour shift with the Berkeley Police Department look like? If you ask officers, they’ll likely tell you there’s no such thing as normal. Berkeleyside took a close-up look over the weekend, via a ride-along from 2 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday. Officer Jennifer Coats, police spokeswoman, was our guide. Throughout the shift, calls ranged from domestic violence reports and mental health calls to robberies, with much of the activity late in the night focusing on alcohol-related incidents around Telegraph Avenue. (Photos by Emilie Raguso)
Join the Berkeley-wide emergency drill April 27
A Berkeley-wide disaster exercise is set to take place later this month, and the city is working hard to get as many people involved as possible.
Participation ranges from the exceedingly simple — just sign up to receive emergency text alerts about the drill — to the more involved, with local business and neighborhood groups planning a range of activities. … Continue reading »
Crime narratives from the Berkeley Police, March 24-30
The following items represent just a sampling of calls, and were selected by the Berkeley Police Department unless otherwise noted. Click to see past narratives from police, and Berkeleyside’s most recent compilation of calls for service.
Sunday, March 24: A woman was walking in the 1500 block of Prince Street at 8:10 p.m. when someone approached her from behind, then demanded her purse and grabbed it from her shoulder. The robber was described as a black man, 20 to 30 years old, 6 feet tall with a medium build, and wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt. … Continue reading »
Cigarette fire causes $75,000 in damage to home on Blake
A cigarette butt discarded by a resident in a central Berkeley home appears to have lit some paper recycling materials on fire over the weekend, causing a blaze that spread to the attic and caused $75,000 in damage, authorities said Monday.
The fire took place Sunday at about 2:30 p.m. Berkeley Deputy Interim Fire Chief Avery Webb said the fire, in the 1700 block of Blake Street, was under control in about half an hour.
Webb said the single-alarm fire started on the porch and spread to the roofline and into the attic space. When fire crews arrived, “three citizens with two garden hoses had controlled the fire pretty effectively,” he said. … Continue reading »
Chez Panisse closed indefinitely, major rebuild needed
Chez Panisse is closed indefinitely after careful scrutiny of the damage caused to the famous restaurant by an early-morning fire on March 8 revealed that it needs significant demolition and reconstruction work that will take longer than originally anticipated.
The restaurant is canceling all reservations and not taking new ones at this point.
Both the top and bottom porches on the front of the building at 1517 Shattuck Ave. need to be removed and rebuilt, and structural repairs will affect both the upstairs café and downstairs restaurant, according to Chez Panisse’s owner Alice Waters, who posted a letter on the restaurant’s website. … Continue reading »
Chez Panisse rebuilds, focuses on re-opening soon
Five days after iconic Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse was struck by an early-morning fire, crews of experts are working at the restaurant to clean up and rebuild the damaged front section, which includes a much-loved dining alcove.
The Alice Waters-owned restaurant, which has not taken any new reservations since the fire, is hoping work will be completed in time to re-open on April 1, which happens to be the Chez Panisse Café’s 33rd birthday. But the restaurant does not want to set up false expectations about a date, a spokesperson said, as there are still so many unknowns. “We will have more certainty by the end of the week,” a staffer said. … Continue reading »
Breaking: Firefighters douse gas line blaze on MLK
The Berkeley Fire Department put out a fire, in the 1700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way on Tuesday afternoon, that started in a gas line then spread to a utility truck and the roof of a nearby home, authorities said.
Martin Luther King was closed for two blocks, between Delaware and Virginia streets, while emergency crews responded. … Continue reading »
