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Residents concerned after another grass fire along I-580 in Oakland
Caitlin Cadwallader lives in a neighborhood just above Interstate 580 in Oakland. Saturday night, a car caught fire in the westbound lanes, and flames quickly spread to vegetation, then moved up the hill toward Cadwallader’s neighborhood.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Caitlin Cadwallader lives in a neighborhood just above Interstate 580 in Oakland. Saturday night, a car caught fire in the westbound lanes, and flames quickly spread to vegetation, then moved up the hill toward Cadwallader’s neighborhood.
"I was laying in bed in my bedroom and I literally heard a boom I thought somebody was breaking into my house. My house shook," said Cadwallader.
Cadwallader said neighbors are upset and worried. This is the fifth fire along I-580 in the past month. On September 16, there was a four-alarm fire near Quigley Street and 35th Avenue that damaged several homes. September 20, there was another fire near 35th Avenue and Coolidge determined to be arson. Then on September 26, a pickup truck caught fire and flames spread to nearby brush. This latest fire stopped just short of Cadwallader’s house. "This seems to be a frequent problem right now," she said. "There’s been multiple fires in under a month and it’s progressively getting worse. People are losing their homes families are getting affected. So Caltrans needs to step up."
Oakland city Councilmember Sheng Thao, who is running for mayor, also called on Caltrans to better maintain vegetation on Caltrans property to reduce the risk of fire. "It’s not fair that the city has to take on the responsibility of the finances when it comes to Caltrans property," said Thao.
Thao and councilmember Carroll Fife introduced a special report, calling for an audit. They are asking the fire department to calculate how much time and money has been spent responding to fires on state property. Once that number is in, the plan to ask Caltrans for reimbursement.
"We just want to get an idea of what it costs for our firefighters to actually go out and fight fires that could have been prevented if there was stronger vegetation management," said Thao.
The Oakland fire chief said the department is in the process of preparing this report, and plans to present it to the finance committee in November. Caltrans did not respond to request for comment.
SEE ALSO: Several homes in Oakland destroyed after large vegetation fire erupts next to I-580