Authorities said an intense three-alarm fire that erupted Friday evening has left an Oakland home and a church with severe damage. The blaze, which was first reported just before 7:30 p.m., tore through a vacant single-family residence and the historic St. Andrew Missionary Baptist Church. The Oakland Fire Department stated in an X post that the fire was under control at 8:32 p.m. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Incident UNDER CONTROL as of 832pm. Cause under investigation. https://t.co/K594beQZMz
— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) May 11, 2024
According to Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington, the residence experienced a partial collapse, and the church also suffered significant damage, particularly on the so-called Charlie side at the rear of the building. Covington mentioned that they were "lucky nobody got hurt" after a collapse occurred at the rear of the building while firefighters were inside the church. The rapid response by approximately 60 firefighters managed to prevent the fire from potentially engulfing the entire block, as noted in a statement obtained by KGO.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. While the blaze brought a significant turnout of emergency personnel to the scene, the prompt action of the firefighters prevented any casualties. A local resident, Matthew Evans, told KGO, "Yeah, it was intense," describing the scene where flames were still visible as he walked by earlier.
Oakland officials are now closely scrutinizing the ashes and remnants of what was once a community emblem and a place of solitude and worship. As the dust settles, Covington stressed the importance of the first responders' performance, stating via KGO, "Crews did a really remarkable job of keeping the fire to this building and part of the church." This early action surely played a critical role in rapidly containing what could have been a much more devastating incident.
