Unoccupied apartment building burning in Oakland
Empty apartment building on fire in Oakland
A fire is burning at 9th and Madison streets in Oakland on Wednesday night. The fire department said the building is unoccupied and has a history of fires.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Firefighters in Oakland are responding to an apartment building fire on 9th and Madison streets on Wednesday.
According to an official with the Oakland Fire Department, the fire broke out in a four-story unoccupied apartment building. The two-alarm fire, in the Chinatown area, broke out at around 10 p.m.
Video from the scene shows flames pouring out from the roof of a residential building.
Firefighters appear to be getting the upper hand.
Fire department officials said this location has had previous fires in recent years. One started when a Dumpster was lit on fire, which then spread to the building.
Unoccupied apartment building burning in Oakland
Firefighters are responding to a two-alarm fire at an unoccupied apartment building in Oakland's Chinatown on Wednesday.
A KTVU crew arrived at the scene where we saw an aggressive attack in progress, involving multiple aerial ladders.
There had been concerns that neighboring buildings that are occupied would catch fire. People gathered outside to watch, but some were also genuinely concerned the fire would spread.
Neighbors said they heard the fire alarms going off and that they saw two people running from the scene.
It is not clear how the fire started. The building is across the street from Wilma Chan Park and near the Lake Merritt BART station.
There are no reports of injuries.
We will update this developing story as we learn the latest details.
Fire at 9th and Madison streets in Oakland. July 16, 2025.
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