Panoramic Hill fire damages home 35 years after firestorm
The damaged property was once a wedding venue called Skyfall Estate, according to media reports and neighborhood websites.
A brush fire in the Berkeley-Oakland hills damaged a home and burned about 1.5 acres Tuesday, on the 35th anniversary of the devastating 1991 Tunnel Fire.
Firefighters from multiple agencies saved two threatened structures despite difficult access and water supply challenges, Oakland fire officials said.
The fire broke out shortly before noon near 1001 Panoramic Way, at the top of Panoramic Hill, which spans the Berkeley-Oakland border.
One home sustained roof and siding damage, but firefighters prevented the flames from spreading farther into the building, Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Anthony Sanders told reporters at the scene.
The damaged property was once a wedding venue called Skyfall Estate, which is now closed, according to reports by ABC7 and the San Francisco Chronicle.
No injuries were reported, and the cause remains under investigation.
The fire presented challenges for firefighters, who had to navigate steep roads to reach the threatened structures, according to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.
Crews began responding at about 11:40 a.m., initially receiving conflicting reports about the fire's location.
By 11:45 a.m., Berkeley firefighters could see a column of smoke rising from the hills near Strawberry Canyon and Cardiac Hill.
Crews soon determined that the fire was burning near the top of Panoramic Way, where access was limited to a single narrow road.
At 11:55 a.m., firefighters reported that traffic was making it difficult to bring resources up the hill. Minutes later, crews reported that flames had reached a home and that they were still working to establish a water supply.
"We're trying to knock the fire down below the house," a firefighter reported shortly after noon, according to emergency dispatches. "We've got the fire on the roof of the structure."
Firefighters established a unified command involving Oakland and Berkeley, with help from Alameda County, Cal Fire and the East Bay Regional Park District.
The park district helicopter dropped water from above to help contain the blaze.
Weather helped prevent a larger fire
Crews planned to remain at the scene for 24 hours to monitor conditions and extinguish hot spots. Oakland Firefighters Local 55
Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington told reporters that Tuesday's weather conditions helped crews prevent the fire from spreading.
Overcast skies and favorable winds worked to firefighters' advantage, he said.
"Everything was working for us in that regard," he said.
Had Tuesday's fire occurred under conditions similar to those during the 1991 fire, the outcome could have been very different, Covington said.
The 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills Tunnel Fire, which began Oct. 19 and became a firestorm the next day, killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
It "still ranks as one of the most disastrous fires in American history," according to East Bay Parks, and caused more than $1 billion in damage.
Covington said Tuesday's fire started near the top of Panoramic Hill, such that flames spreading uphill would have encountered fewer structures than if the fire had started down in the canyon.
He credited the coordinated response among local fire agencies, which have shared communications systems and procedures to respond quickly to major emergencies.
Firefighters from several jurisdictions arrived at the scene at roughly the same time and began working together immediately, he said.
Ultimately, about 75 firefighters responded to the blaze, Oakland Fire spokesman Michael Hunt told SFGATE.
Emilie Raguso
By about 2:35 p.m., authorities reported that the fire was under control.
Oakland fire officials subsequently confirmed in online posts that the forward progress had been stopped and the incident was contained.
Crews planned to remain at the scene for 24 hours to monitor conditions and extinguish hot spots.
The fire prompted temporary road closures near UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium, but university officials said there were no impacts to campus property or operations.
No evacuations were ordered.
