Fire sweeps through homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze in Oakland

OAKLAND – Fire swept through a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze highway interchange in West Oakland on Monday morning.

The Oakland Fire Department tweeted around 10:20 a.m. that the fire is burning near the intersection of 34th and Wood Street, close to the interchange. A second alarm was requested about 20 minutes later.

"Oakland fire resources responded, quickly realized this is going to be a scenario to where we needed additional resources on the scene," Fire Chief Reginald Freeman told reporters at a news conference Monday morning.

Along with Oakland Fire Department units, crews from Alameda County and the City of Alameda also responded to the fire, which firefighters said burned multiple vehicles, RVs and debris. About 65 firefighters were called to the scene. 

"A little bit of everything burning. We have cars, we have RVs, we have a ton of combustible materials, hazardous materials," the chief said.

Freeman also said "several explosions" took place since firefighters arrived, including the explosion of propane and acetylene cylinders.

There were no reports of injuries.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire within two hours and the blaze was under control by 1:30 p.m.

The fire took place near where the Union Pacific Railroad and other agencies had performed an operation removing stolen and abandoned vehicles in the area. 

"Union Pacific Railroad, as part of a larger operation that included BNSF Railroad, CALTRANS and the City of Oakland, was removing stolen and abandoned vehicles near 34th and Wood streets when a fire broke out near our property," a spokesperson told KPIX 5.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

"Heartbroken to see another encampment fire & greatly appreciate our first responders for their work saving lives," said Oakland City Council president Sheng Thao. "Our housing crisis continues to threaten the health and safety of our unhoused Oaklanders."

The fire prompted the closure of multiple ramps in the busy interchange connecting Interstate 80, Interstate 580 and Interstate 880. Shortly after 2 p.m., all lanes and connector ramps in the area have reopened.

Capitol Corridor service was also disrupted through the area. Train service has been restored, but delays continued into the afternoon.

The area has been the scene of multiple encampment fires in recent months, including a fire in April that killed a person.

• Homelessness
• Fire
• Oakland