> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Update: Berkeley fire fatality ID'd as Roberto Rodriguez, 69 - URL: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/06/04/community/berkeley-fire-college-avenue-man-dead/ - Published: 2025-06-04T19:59:30.000Z - Updated: 2025-06-06T22:24:33.000Z - Description: The fire displaced six people, the Berkeley Fire Department said. - Author: Emilie Raguso - Tags: Community, Claremont-Elmwood, Elmwood, Berkeley Fire, #articles, Southside, #coroner **Update, June 6:** The man who died this week after a fire in his Berkeley apartment building has been identified as Roberto Rodriguez, 69, the coroner's office said Friday. The Berkeley Fire Department said the fire's cause was undetermined, that there is no available estimate on damages and that its investigation is now closed. **Original story:** A man has died after an apartment fire on College Avenue in Berkeley on Wednesday morning, authorities report. Firefighters found two men trapped and rescued them, one from a balcony and one from inside the building, the [Berkeley Fire Department](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-fire-department/) said Wednesday. The second man sustained critical injuries and ultimately did not survive, officials said just before 1 p.m. The fire, in the [Southside neighborhood](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/southside-berkeley/) north of the [Elmwood district](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/elmwood-berkeley/), displaced six people. The incident began just before 8:25 a.m. in the 2500 block of College Avenue, just south of Dwight Way, when a caller reported heavy white smoke coming from the building, where the alarm was sounding, and one person possibly trapped inside. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2025/06/DSC07897.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2025/06/DSC07797.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2025/06/DSC07793.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2025/06/DSC07799.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2025/06/DSC07668.jpg) Berkeley firefighters on College Avenue on Wednesday morning. [**Ariel Nava Photo*](https://x.com/arielnavaphoto?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) When firefighters arrived, there was "light smoke showing from one side of a three-story apartment complex. A second alarm was requested to support the response," BFD said. Fire crews saw one man on a balcony and rescued him, and then rescued a second man after searching the building. The second man was taken to the hospital in critical condition, BFD said, while the first man, who was also taken to the hospital, escaped with minor injuries, according to preliminary indications. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire after locating the source. Berkeley Fire said the building sprinkler system helped keep the fire in check, while also noting that it had been tough to get inside "due to heavy content conditions." There were no injuries to firefighters. The fire's cause and any known damages remain under investigation. College Avenue was closed in both directions near Dwight Way and Parker Street during the fire. ### Berkeley has had a spate of serious fires in 2025 Historically, serious and deadly [Berkeley fires](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-fire-department/) have been rare events. This year has been different. On Jan. 3, a [30-year-old homeless woman](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/04/community/berkeley-fire-fifth-street-harrison-body/) died in a tent fire on Fifth Street in northwest Berkeley. [Woman found dead after tent fire ID’d as Trinity BrooksHer death does not appear to have been suspicious.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-828.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/BI6A1528-4.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/04/community/berkeley-fire-fifth-street-harrison-body/) Later the same month, a fire at an apartment building on Ashby Avenue near College Avenue [displaced nine people](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/13/community/9-displaced-in-berkeley-apartment-fire/) in the Elmwood neighborhood. [Berkeley apartment fire displaces 9 people“It was windy,” said one community member. “No warning for neighbors. Very scary in light of what is happening in LA.”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-823.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2025-01-13-at-1.49.29-PM-4.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/13/community/9-displaced-in-berkeley-apartment-fire/) In early February, two women sustained critical injuries in a house fire on Cedar Street in northwest Berkeley. A 61-year-old woman, who was bedridden, [subsequently died](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/08/community/berkeley-grandmother-saved-family-fire-gofundme/), as did the family pet. [UPDATE: 1 dead, 1 critical after Berkeley house fireFirefighters broke a window to get inside, performing a tactic known as a “vent, enter, search” to complete the first rescue, BFD said.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-824.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/76028819578__78362D33-2F0B-47C3-AA21-1EABD2140CB8-4.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/03/community/northwest-berkeley-house-fire-cedar-2-critical/) [How a Berkeley grandma, 84, saved family members amid fireShe pushed through burning flames to rouse her daughter and son-in-law. BFD rescued another daughter, who was bedridden, but she later died.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-825.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerFrances Dinkelspiel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/Snapchat-1143557215-3.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/08/community/berkeley-grandmother-saved-family-fire-gofundme/) In April, [a 64-year-old disabled woman who was trapped inside](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/04/08/community/person-dead-south-berkeley-house-fire-derby-mlk/) during a house fire on Derby Street died after being rescued by firefighters. [Update: Disabled woman dead after Berkeley apartment fireOn April 11, authorities released the name of the woman who died. She was 64-year-old Michelle Ann Mulder.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-826.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2025-04-07-at-5.02.57-PM-3.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/04/08/community/person-dead-south-berkeley-house-fire-derby-mlk/) Less than a week later, a fire [destroyed the East Bay Media Center](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/04/14/community/berkeley-fire-east-bay-media-center/) on Addison Street in downtown Berkeley. [Fire tears through East Bay Media Center overnightBFD found 20- to 30-foot flames breaching the roof, “touching adjacent buildings \[and\] threatening to engulf the surrounding structures.”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-827.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_2519-2.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/04/14/community/berkeley-fire-east-bay-media-center/) Stay tuned for ongoing coverage. *Note: This story was updated after publication to include context about other serious fires this year. The neighborhood was also updated from Elmwood to Southside.* ## Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner Authoritative crime + safety news Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.