Crashes and Disasters |

3-alarm Oakland fire nearly destroys one vacant residence, badly damages a second occupied home

OAKLAND — A three-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon in the Eastlake district nearly destroyed a vacant home plagued by squatters and past fires and heavily damaged a second, occupied house, authorities said.

No injuries were reported.

The fire erupted about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday at the unoccupied, two-story home in the 600 block of East 8th Street, officials said.

It then spread to a carport and a house next door, where the residents were not home, officials said.

Officials said the carport and a vehicle parked there were badly damaged and that the occupied home sustained extensive roof and side damage.

Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt said some 60 firefighters responded and had the fire under control at 2:45 p.m.

Hunt said the residence where the fire started had been “red tagged” by city officials last month, meaning it could not be occupied. He added that there has been issues with the vacant residence before that, with squatters living there and firefighters responding to several fires there in recent years.

The cause of Tuesday’s fire was under investigation. A damage figure was not available.

Hunt said seven adults and five children of the occupied home were displaced by the fire.