Tragedy struck the Oakland community as Horn BBQ, a local culinary beacon, was engulfed in flames in the wee hours of Tuesday, leaving the popular establishment a shell of its smoky, slow-cooked dreams. Oakland Fire Department reported a blaze tearing through the restaurant at 2534 Mandela Parkway that had "fire crews on scene within 3 mins" and a subsequent clampdown on the inferno by 4:45 a.m., as detailed in the Twitter account by Oakland Fire CA.
Early this morning (419am) Firefighters responded to a fire at Horn BBQ in the 2500 block of Mandela Parkway. #OFD Crews were on scene within 3 mins and contained the fire by 445am. Our Investigators are working closely w/ the owners to determine what may have caused this fire. pic.twitter.com/38xV3lJN4Y
— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) November 22, 2023
The Horn BBQ family, led by renowned pitmaster Matt Horn, reached out through an Instagram post affirming their resilience; they spoke of "immense shock" and a collective heart "heavy with both sorrow and determination," revealing plans to pick themselves up from the ashes. They launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking $200,000 to jump-start the rebuild, plus reassuring loyal customers who placed Thanksgiving orders that pick-ups would be rerouted to Horn’s burger joint, Matty’s Old Fashioned as per reports from Eater SF.
The devastating fire came on the heels of a bout of vandalism that had previously rattled the BBQ hot spot; the unforeseen event and the previous day's transgressions have cast a pall over what was meant to be a celebratory week of Thanksgiving preparedness; however, Horn doesn't leave his community hanging; they'll still continue some of their planned charitable work per a statement obtained by Eater SF.
While the cause of the blaze has yet to be definitively pinpointed, Oakland councilmember Carroll Fife hinted at darker implications, suggesting "the fire looks very intentional," this in a city where the grit of survival often entwines with the aspiration of creation. Horn told Eater SF that "the whole thing burned, inside and outside." Still, investigators from the Oakland Fire Department are on the case, determined to blaze a trail of truth through shadows of doubt as they work with Horn and his crew to uncover any possible lead.
