Oakland sees wave of fires linked to encampments, stolen cars
OAKLAND - Neighbors and businesses in an Oakland Fruitvale neighborhood are worried about fires linked to encampments and car thieves.
A 2-alarm fire on Wednesday morning burned down a vacant warehouse near the intersection of 29th Avenue and East 12th Street.
Neighbors said they were not surprised when flames destroyed it. The fire department said homeless people were living in it and they had responded to multiple small fires inside the warehouse in recent months. No one was hurt. But neighboring businesses worried it's a just a matter of time.
"We count ourselves lucky right now, but this is a pretty industrial building," said Rachel Konte with Red Bay Coffee.
She felt relieved the business she works at is still standing after someone set a fire to the business on Friday morning.
"We noticed that somebody had been trying to set a fire here. We actually cleaned it up. But that was right outside of our rollup door," said Konte.
A burn mark was visible on the rollup door, and someone cracked a piece of glass on the door as well.
"I think everybody is exhausted and a little frustrated with things that happen all the time," said Konte.
Businesses said there have been repeated fires linked to the homeless living at nearby encampments and along the Union Pacific railroad tracks. They said car thieves were also burning stolen cars near the tracks. Councilman Noel Gallo represents the Fruitvale District. He said they have to go through a slow legal process when dealing with private properties.
"We have another homeless encampment, a privately-owned property. The gentleman that owns it cleaned it, cleared it, and fenced it. And then they break the fence and move in. And the police say 'well, we can't go in there until the city attorney gives us permission because it's a private property," said Councilman Gallo.
The Wednesday warehouse fire forced a charter high school across the street to cancel class for the day. The Oakland animal shelter is located across the train tracks. Luckily, they did not have to evacuate.
"It's hard to picture what that would look like, we've got hundreds of animals in this building, it's extremely vulnerable," said Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services.
The shelter is packed with roughly 120 dogs and 140 cats. Dunn is worried about their safety.
"Every single dog kennel and every cat cage is full," said Dunn.
In fact, they're waiving adoption fees for cats and dogs this month. As for Konte, she hoped the city can do more to prevent the fires.
"We're all trying to make the city beautiful and have a safe place for our employees," said Konte.
Councilman Gallo said the city is working to find housing for the people who are staying at the encampments or along the tracks. But it's a slow process given the lack of resources.