Berkeley encampment fire near Pacific Steel torches 2 abandoned buildings

"An early-morning fire Thursday burned two buildings on Second Street near the old Pacific Steel Casting Company site. There were no reported injuries. The fire began in an encampment in between the two buildings, Berkeley Fire Department Deputy Chief Keith May said in an email. Callers reported the fire beginning at 5:24 a.m., May said. When firefighters arrived, the fire had already breached both buildings, which were abandoned and unoccupied."

"There was no estimate yet on the extent of the damage, May said. No information was immediately available on what may have started the initial fire at the camp, nor was it immediately clear which two buildings were damaged. Several sections of Second Street, particularly near Cedar Street four blocks away, have seen tent and vehicle camps come and go. The city recently cleared the area of campers, in part through an RV buy-back program"

An early-morning fire on Sept. 11, 2025, burned two buildings on Second Street near the Pacific Steel Casting Company site. The fire began in an encampment between the two abandoned, unoccupied buildings. Callers reported the blaze at 5:24 a.m., and firefighters found the fire had already breached both structures upon arrival. There were no reported injuries. No estimate on the extent of the damage was available and the cause of the initial fire at the camp remained unknown. Several sections of Second Street have seen recurrent tent and vehicle camps. The city recently cleared the area, partly via an RV buy-back program that moved people into housing.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org