Police said they did not suspect anything amiss until a hospital toxicology test showed drugs in the child’s urine.
Berkeley Fire Department
Posted inCrime & Safety
Need help managing vegetation around your Berkeley Hills home? City will have $4M for just that
A patchwork of city, university and regional projects adds up to millions of dollars’ worth of wildfire safety work on the horizon for Berkeley.
Posted inCity
100 years after Berkeley’s 1923 fire, another tragedy could be even likelier
Fire detection is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was. Some of the strategies of the last century, like fuel breaks, remain the same, however. But safety advocates warn the risk may be even higher.
Posted inCity
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.
Posted inCity
Siren test, fire fest scheduled for 1923 Berkeley fire centennial
A Fire Ready Fest and test of the city’s outdoor warning system will mark the centennial of the catastrophic fire of 1923.
Posted inCity
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.
Posted inFire
Berkeley exploring citywide disaster evacuation plan
Deadly and destructive fires, one on the heels of another, forced a statewide gut-check in disaster preparedness. The city is trying to figure out how evacuations will work with new development and changing infrastructure.
Posted inCrime & Safety
How to defend your Berkeley home from wildfire
How do you protect your property? How has guidance changed? What help is available? What if you rent? What do you need to know about fire insurance?
Posted inCrime & Safety
During ‘Extreme Fire Weather,’ Berkeley residents are urged to preemptively evacuate by leaving the hills before a fire starts
The Berkeley Fire Department will declare “Extreme Fire Weather” due to forecasted high winds and low humidity on the highest-risk Red Flag days.
Posted inCrime & Safety
Update: Berkeley police investigating possible arson at Oxford Street building
Residents said they found a strip of gasoline next to the building at the time of the first fire on July 19 and police said there was a strong smell of gas at the second fire on July 25.
Posted inCrime & Safety
South Berkeley free store destroyed by fire
Residents at the home attached to the free store were not injured.
Posted inCity
Berkeley closes roads for July 4th fire safety, reminds of fireworks ban
Officials asked residents to help prevent injuries and forest fires by foregoing fireworks entirely, particularly in the Berkeley Hills, where fires can spread especially quickly.
