Elderly Man Killed In Overnight West Oakland House Fire
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – One person was found dead following a two-alarm fire at a home in West Oakland early Monday morning.
According to Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Sean Laffan, the fire was reported at a Victorian home on 16th and Linden Streets around 5:45 a.m.
Firefighters arrived in less than five minutes and reported heavy amounts of smoke and flames coming from the second floor. Laffan said crews aggressively attacked the fire and located a victim who was reported dead at the scene.
"The victim, unfortunately, did perish," Laffan told KPIX 5.
The victim's identity has not been released by authorities, but friends and relatives told KPIX 5 the victim was a man who lived at the home for more than six decades.
Neighbors who did not want to go on camera said the man was an Oakland native well known on his block and that his family passed down the home over generations.
Firefighters said it's still unclear how the fire began and why the man was unable to get out.
"The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Our arson investigator is on scene and he is looking into the origin as well as the cause," Laffan said.