Fire Destroys Waterfront Restaurant in Oakland
OAKLAND (BCN) - A waterfront restaurant near Oakland's Park Street Bridge was severely damaged in a three-alarm fire that broke out late Thursday night, a fire battalion chief said Friday morning.
Firefighters responded to an 11:13 p.m. call reporting a fire at 300 29th Ave., the location of the Tiki Tom's restaurant.
Upon arrival, crews discovered fire shooting up through the structure's roof, and the blaze was quickly bumped up to three alarms, Oakland fire Battalion Chief Edward Kilmartin said.
About 80 firefighters responded to the blaze, with 17 engines, including two from Alameda fire, and two trucks. Crews were still on the scene this morning, tending to hot spots that continued to flare up.
As of 9:30 a.m., fire investigators were at the scene to try to determine the cause of the fire. Structural engineers were also on scene to determine if it is safe to enter the devastated building.
The owner's fiberglass boat, which was tied up near the restaurant, is a lost cause, Kilmartin said.
"It was burned to the point where it sank," he said.
No one was injured in the blaze. The building was unoccupied, which created its own set of problems, Kilmartin said.
"We had access problems: it was closed, it was chained, and it was on the water," he said.
To access the estuary side of the restaurant, a fireboat was brought in to lay absorbent boom, Kilmartin said.
The American Red Cross, PG&E, and the Alameda Police Department, which dispatched a bridge operator to provide access to the fireboat, also played roles in the response.
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