Arson suspected in East Bay hills wildfire
The day after a fast-moving wildfire sent dozens of fire crews into the Berkeley and Oakland hills, officials say they are now investigating the blaze as a potential arson that started on university property.
Fire crews stopped the spread of the blaze but were still working to completely extinguish the flames Thursday, Oakland fire officials said. It was reported to be 50 percent contained as of 4 p.m.
The fire is believed to have started off Grizzly Peak Boulevard, on university property specifically near outpost sign 14, said UC Berkeley police Sgt. Sabrina Reich.
Reich said the fire is being investigated as potential arson, specifically as a reckless wildland fire causing injury after a crew member fell down a 50-foot hill and suffered minor injuries Wednesday. Cal Fire officials are leading the arson investigation and there is no word yet on any suspects, she said.
Oakland police issued a statement Thursday that an arrest Wednesday afternoon by UC Berkeley police has not been determined to be connected to the fire. A suspect was arrested after allegedly fleeing the scene of a car crash and brandishing a gun, police said.
Hot spots continued to flare up Thursday in the dry, hilly area above Berkeley, said Oakland fire engineer Charleton Lightfoot. The blaze scorched 20 acres but had not burned any additional vegetation since Wednesday evening.
“We have a good handle on this incident,” Lightfoot said.
Oakland, MoragaOrinda, East Bay Regional Parks and Department of Forestry fire crews remained at the scene Thursday, and 157 firefight- ers were on the hill, Moraga- Orinda Chief Stephen Healy said.
They were aided by relatively calm air. Healy said there was barely a breeze on the mountain and that when the wind did blow, it was “maybe 2 mph.” Wind gusts blew about 15 mph through the night, he said.
“We have a lot of hot spots, and they’re flaring up,” he said. “But we’ve got good conditions as far as the wind, so we’re hitting it real hard. It’s not advancing at all.”
Oakland Deputy Fire Chief Melinda Drayton said early Thursday that the muggy, overcast and humid morning weather — and a lack of sun — was great for the firefighters as they continued to mop up. The weather conditions were a contrast to Wednesday afternoon, when it was dry and hot, with weather in the 90s.
Firefighters were keeping an eye on potential thunder and lightning storms in the region Thursday.
There was a small vegetation fire in the same area early Tuesday that burned an area about 150 square feet before it was put out. It’s not known whether the two fires are related.
At least two eucalyptus trees were brought down that were still burning inside Thursday morning.
Oakland Battalion Chief James Bowron said specialists from Cal Fire were brought in to stabilize the tree flare-ups. Flames can be inside hollow tree trunks and crews worked with chainsaws to bring them down, strip down the bark and get the fire out. Eucalyptus trees can be problematic because they are shallow-rooted trees that have a high oil content that can more easily burn, he said. Their fallen leaves can also cause a dense fuel bed.
Dubbed the “Grizzly Fire,” the blaze broke out around 1:05 p.m. Wednesday and burned on both sides of Grizzly Peak Boulevard. That road remained closed Thursday between South Park Drive and Centennial Drive until 8 p.m. Crews were expected to remain on scene overnight.
Half the fire burned on the Oakland side of the hills, while the other half was in Berkeley by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, according to Healy.
Crews used air tankers and helicopters to fight the fire in its early stages, and made enough progress through the night that an Oakland fire dispatcher mistakenly relayed word before Thursday morning’s news conference that crews reported the fire to be out. Fire officials corrected that the fire was only 50 percent contained as of Thursday morning.
“We dropped (retardant) for a long time,” Healy said.
No structures have burned, but a California Department of Forestry crew member suffered minor injuries after falling down a steep 50-foot hill, Lightfoot said. He was taken to a hospital and was reported in stable condition.
“The topography is challenging,” Lightfoot said.