The Brief
- An East Oakland woman and her family escaped injury on Saturday night after illegal holiday fireworks ignited a nearby tree, spreading flames that heavily damaged their vehicles on 96th Avenue.
- City public works crews cleared trash and spent explosives from Oakland streets after a chaotic night of illegal fireworks that included passengers shooting fireworks from moving vehicles.
- While some neighborhoods suffered property damage from illegal fireworks on Saturday, other Oakland residents reported that the holiday weekend felt noticeably safer and cleaner than in years past.
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.…