A two-alarm fire burned residential buildings on Olympus Avenue and Fairlawn Drive on March 19, 2026. There were no injuries reported. Credit: Submitted
A fire that broke out in the Berkeley Hills hours before dawn Thursday burned two residential buildings, ruptured a gas line and downed power wires. There were no injuries reported but police warned that residual smoke was lingering in the area.
A 911 caller first reported the fire, in the 1500 block of Olympus Avenue, shortly before 4 a.m., Deputy Fire Chief Keith May said in response to a Berkeleyside inquiry.
Firefighters arrived “to find heavy smoke and flames” billowing from one building, with everyone who had been inside already outside, May wrote.
A second structure on Fairlaw Drive, which meets Olympus at a Y-shaped intersection, also caught fire, May said. Everyone inside that building got out safely as well.
Berkeley emergency workers summoned Pacific Gas & Electric to deal with the power and gas lines, May said. The fire was under investigation as of 8 a.m.
Shortly after 7 a.m. the Berkeley Police Department sent an electronic alert warning that smoke was lingering in the area, but that the fire was under control. “If the smoke is affecting your home, shut your windows and doors until it clears,” the alert read.
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Alex N. Gecan joined Berkeleyside in 2023 as a senior reporter covering public safety. He has covered criminal justice, courts and breaking and local news for The Middletown Press, Stamford Advocate and…
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