OAKLAND — A fire broke out at a large homeless encampment Friday afternoon, destroying more than a dozen homeless shelters, fire officials said.
Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 2200 block of East 12th Street at 12:28 p.m. and it was brought under control by 1:12 p.m. There were no reports of injuries, officials said.
A fire dispatcher said smoke was so thick it was activating smoke alarms in nearby buildings. The large black plume near Interstate 880 could been seen from miles away, including downtown Oakland and Alameda.
Fire officials said at least 15 shelters were destroyed, and the fire scorched the bottom of the 22nd Avenue overpass. It’s not clear how many people were displaced. The cause is still under investigation, but officials have not ruled out the possibility that someone cooking started the fire.
At least 30 firefighters responded and fire investigators were at the scene to determine what started the blaze. There have been multiple fires at the camp, including a Sept. 11 fire that destroyed the shelters of nearly 40 homeless residents and there was also a fatal shooting there Oct. 22. The camp is one of the largest in Oakland.
One eight-month resident of the camp, who only gave his name as Abel, said his shelter was destroyed. The 52-year-old was visiting a neighbor when he heard someone yell, turned around, and saw a tree go up in flames.
“The flames were high and wide,” he said.
East 12th Street was closed in both directions between 22nd Avenue and 25th Avenue while firefighters were at the scene but was eventually reopened.
City public works crews responded to the scene to remove charred rubble.
Anyone know where this fire is? This picture was taken from the Bay in Alameda… Looking towards Coast Guard Island. #fire #oakland pic.twitter.com/YADLV2a0cd
— Roberta Gonzales (@RoGonzalesTV) November 2, 2018