East Bay Times: Oakland spent nearly $80,000 fighting fires at its biggest homeless encampment
Oakland spent nearly $80,000 responding to fires at one homeless encampment on Caltrans property over the course of a year, according to a new report that highlights the impact such camps have on the city, and raises questions about the transit agency’s responsibility.
Firefighters responded to a total of 816 fires at Oakland encampments around the city between October 2021 and October 2022 — including 63 at the massive Wood Street encampment alone. Fires at the Wood Street camp — formerly situated on vacant Caltrans land in West Oakland before it was disbanded this fall — cost the city an estimated $78,441, according to the report by the Oakland Fire Department. The city spent nearly as much — an estimated $77,196 — responding to 62 fires on the side of freeways maintained by Caltrans that were not necessarily related to homeless camps.
Based on the fire department’s cost estimates, the city spent more than $1 million fighting fires at encampments during that time period.
City Council members Sheng Thao and Carroll Fife requested the report after a spate of fires on Caltrans land along I-580 this fall. The fire department presented it this week during a meeting of the city’s finance committee.
