burned two residences on Olympus Avenue and Fairlawn Drive<\/a> last month started in a wood pile just outside one of the homes and led to a change in who can unlock a nearby gate, which blocked some Berkeley Hills residents from fleeing the neighborhood by car, according to Councilmember Brent Blackaby.<\/p>\nBlackaby said the March 19 fire was \u201ca wake-up call\u201d for the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At least six people were displaced, with no injuries reported. The downed power wires and ruptured gas lines were a result of the fire, not its cause, Blackaby wrote in a newsletter.<\/p>\n
He said parked vehicles did not slow emergency responders but the downed power lines did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blackaby said the fire rekindled later in the day, but was quickly put out and firefighters then remained on site \u201cto ensure it was fully extinguished.\u201d A spokesperson for Berkeley Fire did not immediately respond to questions.<\/p>\n
A dead-end portion of Olympus Avenue juts out from the Y-shaped intersection where the fire began. During the blaze, a few residents trying to leave that dead-end road with their vehicles and get onto the fire trail below the Lawrence Hall of Science were met with a locked gate, Blackaby said in an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gate, maintained by UC Berkeley, can easily be bypassed on foot and is installed to discourage cars from regularly taking a shortcut along the fire trail from the Hall of Science\u2019s upper parking lot to Olympus Avenue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile UC Police Department personnel did ultimately come to open the gate, we have now shared that combination lock code with all neighbors on the street for future incidents,\u201d Blackaby wrote. \u201cEgress planning is critical. \u2026 Our office is continuing to work with Berkeley Fire Department, Public Works, regional partners, and neighborhood leaders in the Berkeley Hills to identify improvements and strengthen coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n
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![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Fire-1.png\")
A two-alarm fire burned residential buildings on Olympus Avenue and Fairlawn Drive on March 19, 2026. There were no injuries reported. Submitted photo<\/p>\n