Oakland chief says blaze in Chinatown not ‘normal’
A massive conflagration that scorched a building in Oakland’s Chinatown Wednesday morning was believed to have been started by a dumpster fire, and it bloomed into a fivealarm blaze, officials said.
No injuries were reported in the fire, which began about 8:20 a.m. and quickly spread to the the building that stretches across twothirds of the 700 block of Webster Street. More than 70 firefighters responded to battle the blaze. It was brought under control within about two hours, authorities said.
It was not an easy fire to wrestle under control, Oakland Fire Chief Melinda Drayton said at a news conference. Crews had contemplated switching from actively attacking the fire to going into a defensive position at times. Some firefighters had gone through four of their airsupply tanks, whereas a normal fire typically requires only one or two.
“It’s not a normal fire,” Drayton said.
The most intense area of firefighting activity appeared to be above Rang Dong Restaurant. At one point, dozens of firefighters appeared to be on the roof, checking for hot spots.
Just after 10 a.m., the fire seemed to reignite, sending waisthigh flames through a roof and sootfilled plumes high into the sky.
One business owner could be seen rushing to the scene with several cases of bottled water to firefighters as they climbed down from the roof in shifts. Helicopters circled the area, but they were easier to hear than see, as smoke obscured the sky.
The usually bustling Chinatown neighborhood came to a stop, with onlookers watching and taking photos as firefighters climbed a ladder leaned against the 8th Street Cafe and worked atop a neighboring building.
Though the Rang
Dong restaurant was clearly damaged, Drayton said firefighters were able to gain access and save the Cathay Bank next door. After the fire was brought under control, crews continued to pull down weakened areas of roof and check for any trouble spots.
Authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage Wednesday afternoon.