Category Archives: Fire
Cause of Berkeley hills fire under investigation
The two homes that caught on fire in the Berkeley hills on Wednesday night suffered more than $1 million in damage, according to Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong.
The houses at 1005 and 1007 Miller Avenue near Grizzly Peak Boulevard suffered extensive structural damage, he said.
Fire officials do not yet know what cause the fire, which erupted shortly after 8:30 pm and sent flames shooting up more than 60 feet in the air. Four fire fighters were injured … Continue reading »
Two homes in Berkeley hills damaged by fire
Two homes on Miller Avenue in the Berkeley hills were extensively damaged Wednesday night when a fire that spread to three alarms broke out.
The fire in the heavily wooded area broke out at 8:32 pm at 1005 Miller Avenue near Grizzly Peak, according to Assistant Fire Chief Gil Dong. The fire quickly spread to an adjacent house, prompting officials to evacuate nearby homes. The flames were contained by 10:41 pm, but not before crews from Oakland and Alameda were … Continue reading »
A personal thank you to the Berkeley Fire Department
By E. Kay Trimberger
E. Kay Trimberger was eating breakfast at home on Dec. 12 when she heard a smoke alarm go off. She soon realized that a fire had broken out in her study, the place that held her computer with all her writing for her current book project. Trimberger called 911 and the Berkeley Fire Department responded within minutes. In this essay, Trimberger describes their particularly Berkeley response to the fire, and thanks them for saving her house.
We looked like a picture from a child’s book — a line of people in various stages of undress, starring up at the smoke rolling out of the top floor of my house as firemen swarmed in. I was in my exercise clothes and slippers, fortunate to have grabbed a jacket and gloves, while my neighbor, Alice, donned her long apricot down robe. Stephen, my tenant from the cottage behind my house, was barefoot.
Three fire trucks with at least ten men and one woman showed up quickly, soon joined by a fourth truck. The fire report says I called the fire in at 9:19 a.m., that the firefighters left the station at 9:22 and arrived at my house at 9:26. All I know is that everything happened very fast. … Continue reading »
Fire Chief Debra Pryor: It’s important not to forget
In October 1991, Debra Pryor was a newly promoted Lieutenant in the Berkeley Fire Department. She spent the morning of October 20 in the South Bay with her mother, but when she returned to Berkeley, she picked up an assignment to relieve a fire crew in Roble Road that had been struggling with the firestorm.
“There was still a lot of chaos,” she recalls. “There was an awful lot of fire. There was an awful lot of damage. Lives had been lost. It was unsettling.
“My grandmother used to clean a house on Roble Court. That house wasn’t damaged. But coming on a street that the day before had been ordinary — you could see the chimneys. It looked like tombstones where the houses had been.” … Continue reading »
New taqueria opens in old Amanda’s space on Shattuck
Casa Bernal Taqueria celebrated its grand opening Tuesday at 2122 Shattuck Avenue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a 10-piece mariachi band, and $2 beers.
The new taqueria, which opened in the space once occupied by Amanda’s, is the project of Guillermo Bernal and his father. Their family owns a number of restaurants in southern California and Mexico. It features Niman Ranch pork and beef, free range chicken, and organic produce.
Berkeley fire officials are investigating two suspicious fires that broke out within 15 minutes of one another this morning on Cragmont Avenue.
An arsonist may have set the two fires, said Avery Webb, a battalion chief in the Berkeley Fire Department.
“We had a second fire so close in time to the first fire, in such close proximity that it raises the concern that someone set the fires,” said Webb. “It raises the idea that someone traveling along the street may have set the fires.”
The fire department got a call of a vehicle and structure fire in the 500 block of Cragmont Avenue at 12:43 am, said Webb. Firefighters responded and found a 1994 Mercedes station wagon engulfed in flames. It was parked next to the garage and the flames scorched the garage door. The family living in the house had exited, he said. … Continue reading »
Fire and police officials earn more than Berkeley managers
If you are looking for a job in Berkeley, steer clear of City Hall. Instead, head on over to the fire or police department. They pay way more.
In an analysis of public employee salaries, the Bay Area Newspaper Group determined that at least 35 fire and police officials make more than most of City Hall’s top managers, including the Director of Planning and the Director of Public Works. Only City Manager Phil Kamlarz is in the uppermost echelon.
Fire destroys Dwight Way house
A fire that erupted in a house at 1517 Dwight Way this morning not only destroyed the building but melted some power lines and ignited two gas meters.
Four people who lived in the house managed to escape, according to fire officials.
“The occupants reported that they were not sure what woke them up, but something did,” Battalion Chief Bill Kehoe told KTVU News. “They may have heard something. Once one of them was awakened, they saw the orange … Continue reading »
Broken water main floods some downtown streets
A fire hydrant that had been repaired on Wednesday broke off at its base Thursday around 8:30 am on Fulton Street near Durant. It spewed gallons of water into the air for about 20 minutes before the fire department turned it off. The water rushed down to Channing and onto Shattuck Avenue, slowing the morning commute. Fire officials speculated that whoever repaired the hydrant did not affix the seal properly, allowing it to tip over.
Fire at Haste and Telegraph, no one injured
A rooftop fire at the apartment block on the corner of Haste and Telegraph drew a dramatic response from the Berkeley Fire Department. Five engines, two trucks and a total of 32 firefighters responded to the 15:19 pm alarm. The first firefighters were on the scene by 15:24 and the fire was knocked down at 16:11.
According to Assistant Chief Sabina Imrie a wooden door on the roof that led to the stairwell was on fire and producing a large … Continue reading »
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