Multiple cars, debris and RVs burned in the blaze, the Oakland Fire Department said. Battalion Chief Frank Tijiboy said the fire ignited at 10:30 a.m. and was out by 1:30 p.m. “There are always some challenges with every encampment fire,” Tijiboy told SFGATE. “This one was a little different as it made it to the wooden trellis that’s inside the encampment and under the 880 flyover. It was the wood that was spreading it and producing the big black smoke. That’s why we had to stop traffic on the freeway.” The fire sent a huge cloud of smoke up into the air that was visible across the East Bay and from San Francisco. Caltrans asked motorists to avoid the area and use alternative routes. The fire department posted a video on Twitter showing firefighters battling the flames among a collection of RVs and cars. 2 alarm fire near 34th and Wood under the freeway. Multiple cars, debris, and RVs are burning. pic.twitter.com/rrzKUpFCKp — Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) July 11, 2022 Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife wrote on Twitter that there were no injuries in the fire as of 11 a.m. “2 alarm fire on CalTrans property with 70 firefighters on the scene. Currently no injuries to human life but lots of resources needed to contain,” Fife wrote. Tijiboy told SFGATE for a previous story that fires in homeless encampments, whether sanctioned by the city or not, are common. “There have been a ton in the other homeless encampments around the city,” said Tijiboy, noting that the fires often start from propane tanks or a fire that was started to provide heat and got out of control. This is a developing story and updates will be added as they become available.
