Illegal 4th of July fireworks ignite fire, damage vehicles and tree in Oakland
In East Oakland, a neighborhood residents' vehicles and a tree caught fire on 96th Avenue as standard holiday celebrations escalated into dangerous blazes.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Illegal Fourth of July fireworks sparked multiple fires and heavily damaged vehicles in Oakland on Saturday night.
Fire damage
In East Oakland, a neighborhood residents' vehicles and a tree caught fire on 96th Avenue as standard holiday celebrations escalated into dangerous blazes.
"We were lying down. We saw the room very brightly lit. We went outside," said one resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of safety concerns. "We thought we were going to explode and get burned."
The woman said fireworks initially ignited a nearby tree before spreading to her vehicles.
City cleanup
Firefighters arrived to suppress the flames, but dangerous conditions delayed the family's attempt to salvage their property.
"My son-in-law wanted to go in and get the truck out. We didn't let him because there was a wire hanging over it," the resident said.
The family was eventually able to move a Chevrolet Tahoe down the street, though the vehicle sustained extensive fire damage.
Elsewhere in East Oakland, witnesses captured video of a car circling an intersection while passengers launched fireworks directly out of the windows into the street.
On 13th Avenue, debris and active fireworks blocked lanes, detonating in the middle of oncoming traffic.
By Sunday morning, Oakland public works crews had cleared much of the trash and spent fireworks from the streets.
Resident perspective
While some neighborhoods dealt with property damage, other residents noted that the overall activity felt tamer than in previous years.
"No, no. Not this year," said one 13th Avenue resident, comparing Saturday's events to past holidays. "Maybe before it was different, some problems three or four years ago. But this year was very nice."
The Oakland Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding arrests, citations, or the total number of fire calls over the holiday evening.
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