Oakland firefighters demolished a smoldering railway trestle Sunday after controlling an overnight blaze near an East Bay utility district property.
Crews were dispatched around 8:45 p.m. Saturday to a blaze on the abandoned railroad infrastructure at West Grand and Wake avenues, Oakland Battalion Chief Ryan Meineke said. Firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to the East Bay Municipal Utility District property Saturday night, though embers had started spot fires in the building’s yard.
“This particular one right now for a vegetation fire, time of day, weather and everything are in our favor,” Meineke said Saturday night in an update posted on social media. “It was just this large structure that was the issue itself, and that’s what caused the majority of the fire tonight.”
Officials advised residents within 3 miles of the fire to keep their windows and doors closed to protect them from the smoke that would irritate airways, Meineke said.
Firefighters remained on the scene Sunday evening demolishing the remaining trestle posts and advised residents of Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville to expect to smell smoke from the smoldering hot spots.
The trestle has caught fire multiple times in recent years. Officials removed a section under the overpass after the fires began affecting the freeway and its concrete structure, Meineke said.
Officials did not immediately share a cause of the fire.
Subscribe
There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Oakland firefighters demolish abandoned railway trestle after controlling blaze.