Thousands of goats who help reduce wildfire risk in Berkeley, Oakland and beyond are having to chew through thicker vegetation this spring.
Wildfires
Posted inCrime & Safety
‘A whole new ballgame’: Berkeley’s aggressive new plan to prevent wildfire
The city’s recently completed Community Wildfire Protection Plan guides a major expansion in strategies and resources to reduce fire risk.
Posted inCity
Barriers on Grizzly Peak Boulevard turnouts are here to stay
The tree trunk blockades were installed in 2020 to prevent people from gathering and potentially sparking fires in the Berkeley and Oakland hills.
Posted inCrime & Safety
Berkeley’s fire chief confirmed to permanent position
David Sprague has led the department on an interim basis for nearly a year. He has worked for the department since 2001.
Posted inCity
Tree debris? Berkeley will pick it up for free
The program to reduce wildfire risk has been newly expanded to all Berkeley neighborhoods, not just hillside high-risk fire zones.
Posted inCity
Berkeley Hills neighborhood undergrounding its utility lines could be the last of its kind
It’s been a 30-year wait to bury a mile of wires near Tilden. With an eye to public safety, the city wants to underground more utility lines, but it’s complex and costly, and rules are changing.
Posted inCity
No changes yet to parking in Berkeley Hills despite city’s bright-red curb-painting mixup
But ramped up parking restrictions aimed at keeping roads clear during disasters could still come to the hills.
Posted inNature
Berkeley gets serious about defensible space
With its new community wildfire plan, the city is tightening fire risk vegetation requirements, exploring ways to help homeowners fund the work, and taking steps toward restricting parking on narrow streets in the hills.
Posted inCity
Listen: Remembering the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Firestorm
Wednesday is the fire’s 31st anniversary. We produced a podcast looking back at the historic blaze that forever changed how the East Bay looks at wildfires.
Posted inCrime & Safety
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.
Posted inCity
Weather: What Berkeley can expect from this weekend’s rain
The storm won’t snuff out the threat of wildfire, but it could help reduce risk at the most dangerous time of year.
Posted inNature
3 big studies on East Bay’s creatures, plants and wildfire risk
A first-of-its-kind analysis looked at the health of East Bay wildlife, from bats to bobcats and salamanders to steelhead. Two major mapping projects will dive deep into vegetation and wildfire hazard.
