The Brief
A fire broke out near homes along Panoramic Way on the Oakland-Berkeley border Tuesday.
Two homes were threatened, and one sustained partial damage. No injuries were reported.
Fire officials credited improved regional coordination and firefighting efforts since the deadly 1991 East Bay hills fire.
OAKLAND, Calif. – A sight of smoke rising from the East Bay hills Tuesday alarmed some residents as it came on the anniversary of the deadly 1991 Oakland firestorm.
Emergency calls came in around 11:45 a.m. reporting a fire burning near homes in the 1000 block of Panoramic Way along the Oakland-Berkeley border, triggering a large emergency response.
Crews from the Oakland Fire Department, Berkeley Fire Department and Cal Fire responded. Fire officials said the blaze spread slowly, allowing firefighters to quickly establish defensive lines.
Two homes were threatened by the flames. One sustained partial fire damage before firefighters stopped the fire’s advance.
No injuries were reported. However, fire officials said the incident could have become a major incident if weather conditions had been worse.
White smoke from the fire was visible from as far away as San Francisco.
Firefighters face challenging access
Local perspective
Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Anthony Sanders said crews had to shuttle equipment up the hillside because of the area’s narrow access roads.
“We had to start shuttling crews and equipment up there because of the tight access,” Sanders said. “The crews who were up there protecting the structures and working on the roofs and siding needed equipment — we had to take it off our ladder trucks and put it on a couple of engines to get it up there.”
Sanders said the fire could have spread toward Orinda, but improvements made since the 1991 Oakalnd Hills fire helped prevent it from becoming a much larger blaze.
Improvements since 1991
Why you should care
Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington said agencies now have shared communication systems and technology that allow them to coordinate more quickly during large-scale fires.
“We have joint communications and joint technology with tablet command,” Covington said. “We’ve tried to sync everything up across the region so when we have large-scale fires, we’re able to jump in and get together very quickly.”
Sue Noyes, who lives along Panoramic Way, recalled the devastation caused by the 1991 fires.
“In ’91, that was such a horrible time for our community,” Noyes said. “So many of our friends were displaced, so seeing that smoke was frightening.”
Oakland fire officials said they planned to maintain a 24-hour watch on the area to make sure the fire does not flare up.
The Source
This story is based on information from Oakland fire officials, scene footage and a Panoramic Way resident.