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'13 Reasons Why' Films At Oakland Park That's Closed Due To Fire Danger

OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Crews from the popular Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" were spotted Tuesday filming at an Oakland park that's officially closed to the public due to high fire danger.

The series has courted controversy since its release, but this time, it has nothing to do with the story line or plot.

The coming-of-age drama series about teen suicide was shot in various spots in the Bay Area, namely in Vallejo and the North Bay. KPIX 5 spotted crews filming in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, where their presence raised concerns to some regular park goers.

"If it's really fire danger and it's not safe, then no one should be here or everyone should be here," said Ari Avasulin of Oakland.

The Oakland Fire Department says the city gave permission to the film crew to shoot at the closed park, as long as the production paid for a fire inspector to be on site.

"My role is to act as a fire watch," said Manuel Pinto, fire inspector with the Oakland Fire Department. "That way, the production can just focus on their task at hand. And I'm just here focusing on any issues that might come up that are fire and safety related."

Some park goers felt that the film crew received preferential treatment.

"Bothers me a little bit, but like I said, it hasn't affected us too much yet," added Avasulin.

A number of park users KPIX 5 spoke to weren't aware that it was closed.

"If there's fire danger, then people probably shouldn't be here, but I haven't noticed anything different at all. As long as they're not on the trails, then I'm fine with them," said cyclist Robert Epstein of Oakland.

The fire inspector says the shooting locations are limited in size and the set is not using any open flames. The red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service is expected to be lifted Wednesday morning.

The Oakland Fire Department wanted to emphasize that the crew did everything by the book; they checked in, asked for permission and hired the fire inspector.

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