A 4-alarm fire destroyed an apartment building at 2551 San Pablo Avenue in West Oakland early this morning.
According to the Oakland Fire Department’s Twitter feed, some residents had to be rescued. Firefighters battled the blaze from truck ladders, spraying water onto the roof and through windows. The smoke plume could bee seen as far away as deep East Oakland.
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Oakland Councilmember Abel Guillen wrote that some residents had to be rescued from the roof by firefighters.
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The building, like many apartment structures in Oakland, has a long and recent history of code violations.
In December, a complaint filed with the city alleged that there was no working heat in the building, and that there were “electrical issues” and a large pest infestation.
On March 2 of this year, the Urojas Community Services group complained to the city that the building suffers from “deferred maintenance” by the landlord. Urojas leases space in the building to run a substance abuse treatment center and transitional housing.
Neighbors say the building has been in a state of disrepair for a long time.
It’s unclear if anyone died in today’s fire. Check back for updates.
