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This track is private.
Where there was smoke, there was fire. And, the sinking feeling of history repeating itself.
It was a warm and dry Friday in October 2024, in fire-prone Northern California.
A fast-moving fire broke out in the early afternoon – and tore through the hills of Oakland.
The flames produced thick, pungent smoke. Residents were ordered to evacuate. Several structures burned.
Dozens of local firefighters responded to the fire. State firefighters were ordered to respond.
They were ready.
Forecasters had issued “red flag warnings” for fire danger that day – and into the weekend. How concerning was the West Coast weather? The fire warnings stretched from California’s picturesque central coast to northern Shasta County, not far from the Oregon border.
Of all the communities under “red flag warnings,” the fire didn’t happen “just anywhere.” The fire happened in the Oakland Hills.
On October 18, 2024.
Just one day before the anniversary of the Oakland Hills firestorm.
On October 19, 1991, a fire broke out in the Oakland Hills. Firefighters thought they had put it out. But it re-ignited, grew – then exploded – destroying nearly 3,000 homes and killing 25 people. Firefighters gained the upper hand on the massive and destructive flames on October 23, 1991.
Understandably, history was hanging heavy in the air when KCBS Radio covered the October 18, 2024 fire in the Oakland Hills.
Our coverage was comprehensive and thorough – a stellar combination of live reports from the scene and informative conversations from the studio. The KCBS news team was able to draw on a variety of resources – including fearless and nimble field reporters, thoughtful news editors and producers in the newsroom, and calm and confident news anchors with plenty of firsthand experience covering the fire-prone Oakland Hills.
We supplemented our broadcast with digital coverage of the fire:
www.audacy.com/kcbsradio/news/lo…ompts-evacuations
www.audacy.com/kcbsradio/news/lo…tain-oakland-fire
KCBS Radio proudly submits for the judges’ consideration our breaking news coverage: “Fire in the Oakland Hills, Again.”
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