Air quality maps can show different measurements during wildfires. Why?
Depending on whether you look at AirNow or PurpleAir, you might get very different results of the quality of the air in your neighborhood. What’s the deal?
Berkeley’s fire of 1923 gave way to a commercial free-for-all
The East Bay had already lost businesses to poor water systems by 1923. When the fire struck, residents turned on their hoses to find no water coming out. Afterward some businesses offered relief as others sought to cash in.
A devastating fire left 4,000 homeless in Berkeley. 100 years later, what can we learn?
The blaze of Sept. 17, 1923, caught Berkeley firefighters completely unprepared, leaving nearly 4,000 homeless before a change in wind stopped it at the edge of downtown. Fire experts warn that a fire just as bad — or worse — could happen today.
Disaster preparedness resources
Berkeley Wildfire Guide
Fire warnings, preparation advice, evacuation guidance and more answers to your questions about air quality, power outages and defending your property during the 2022 California fire season.
How seniors and people with disabilities can prepare for wildfires
Issues with mobility, hearing, vision, frailty and intellectual or developmental disabilities make emergency preparedness more challenging. Preparation can help and may save lives.
Most Berkeley residents displaced by mudslides have returned home
The Middlefield Road home where mud pushed down a wall and entered the kitchen is still yellow-tagged. Residents have returned to the other seven homes evacuated Jan. 16.
Fire season is underway: Here’s what’s new in Berkeley this year
“We know we have big challenges ahead,” Berkeley Fire Chief Abe Roman said recently. “We all have to adapt to this new normal.”