Engine Companies 1, 8, 29 and 36
Hose Tender 8
Battalion 3
Strike Team 1, led by Battalion Chief James M. Tracey, was initially assigned to Hiller Dr.and Tunnel Rd., but while en route was redirected by Department radio to state Highway 24 and Old Tunnel Rd. in Oakland.
The strike team crossed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge without a CHP escort, but was stopped at Interstate 680 and state Highway 24 where that agency had blocked the roadway.
The CHP then led the strike team from the roadblock to the Oakland command post at state Highway 24 and Broadway St.
"We arrived at about 1 p.m.," said Battalion Chief Tracey, "and we were the only firefighting apparatus there. It was eerie -- very smoky in the area -- almost like night.
"I reported to an Oakland battalion chief, [Reginald J. Garcia] who was in a buggy. He requested us to go up Brookside Dr., via Broadway St. to protect the College Preparatory School from fire.
"As we were about to leave, I told all members of the companies to exercise extreme caution and not to over extend themselves in these extreme fire conditions.
"I walked up Brookside with Oakland Fire Captain [Gerald A.] Flom. He knew the water system in the area. It was extremely smoky and windy, and the fire was rapidly moving downhill in a north-northwest direction. The firefront was about 200 yards up Brookside and running toward the Oakland command post, which was then located in the middle of Highway 24. The fire had already jumped Highway 24 in some places.
"Foliage -- possibly oleander -- in the median strip of Highway 24 caught fire just about 50 feet from the command post.
"I directed the officer of Engine 1 [Lt. Robert Imbellino] to take the apparatus up Brookside to Eustice to begin operations there because there was a hydrant at the corner.
At this point, it was so smoky and hot, and firebrands were swirling in the air. I then directed Engine Companies 8 and 29 up Brookside to surround the school because of the danger.
"I left Temporary Chief's Aide Raemona McGregor with my buggy at the command post on Highway 24 to provide us with communications. Oakland command provided her with a runner, and this helped pass information between us and them."
The Oakland command post also directed Engine Companies 3 and
36 of the San Francisco strike team to the opposite side of state Highway
24, near Reata Ct. and Chabot Rd. to stop the conflagration where it had
jumped the eight-
Around 1:30 p.m. the wind speed began to greatly increase and
"suddenly," said Battalion Chief Tracey, "the fire was bearing down on
Engine 1. A burning house had collapsed at Brookside near Eustace --
almost on the corner -- and it had fallen into the street. It brought the
wires down -- it was amazing -- the brush behind Engine 1 then ignited
from the embers thrown from the burning house, but the crew couldn't see
the fire. It was so hot that it flashed over just like inside a fire building,
and I ordered Engine 1 to immediately get out."
Engine 1, which also carried the crew of Engine 29, was driven
through swirling, cyclonic winds which drew in burning embers and
pushed along the firefront. "I ordered the engine to go about 1,000 feet
north on Brookside," said Battalion Chief Tracey, "and to connect to
another hydrant and begin operations to protect structures there.
"They gave me companies with experienced people, so I wasn't so
much concerned about their firefighting capability as their safety while
they operated in this conflagration zone," he said.
"At about 1:30 p.m. I requested an additional strike team from San
Francisco by Department radio, and then Oakland command asked me for
another strike team. I told the dispatcher on our Control 1 that `the fire is
completely out of control,' and that Oakland was also asking for an
additional strike team for a total of ten engines.
"I then requested a 2,000-gallon water tender from Oakland
command," he said, "and they provided one from a private company, and
that was used to supply engine 1 which was then about 1,000 feet north on
Brookside. We were trying to keep this fire from running in a westerly
direction and destroying more residential structures."
At about 2 p.m., the wind switched to a southeast direction and the
firefront began to move in a southwesterly direction. This wind shift saved
all the structures in the area.
"I walked down Brookside Dr. at about 2:30 p.m. to the command
post and told the Oakland incident commander that the firefront was
sweeping in a southwesterly direction. I suggested that the fire attack
should be made along the front of the conflagration that was advancing on
Ocean View Dr."
The Oakland incident commander again asked for an additional
strike team from San Francisco. This request was relayed directly by
Battalion Chief Tracey on the Department radio to Central Fire Alarm
Station.
Battalion Chief Tracey was then given command of Division G by
Oakland's Director of Fire Services P. Lamont Ewell, who was at the
command post and, "Oakland assigned to me a strike team composed of
engines from Marin County, Oakland Engine 15, as well as San Francisco
Engine Companies 1, 8 and 29," he said.
Chief's Aide McGregor remained at the command post to provide
the vital communications link between San Francisco fireground operations
within the conflagration zone, Oakland command, San Francisco command
at the Claremont Hotel and Central Fire Alarm Station.
"At about 4 p.m.," said Battalion Chief Tracey, "I established the
Division G command post at Ocean View and Margarido Dr. and then
directed the Marin County strike team, operating under Battalion Chief
Waterberry, to begin operations at Ocean View and Manchester Dr. where
the fire was jumping from building to building.
"At least nine houses were fully involved in fire there -- all in the
6000 block. The fire was moving west, sweeping uphill from Brookside
Dr. toward Ocean View, and it was taking everything in it's path. We
were in danger of being overrun by the conflagration.
"Before we started attacking the fire, I told company officers that I'd
be watching the safety aspects of the operation, and to `keep listening to
your Department radio.' I was prepared to have them drop everything and
get out if that conflagration swept down on us, or if the wind changed
direction.
"At this time," he said, "I was told by Captain [Jeffrey L.] Davis of
Oakland Engine 8 said there was a 20-inch main on Broadway at Ocean
View which he said was equivalent to one of our [Auxiliary Water Supply
System] high pressure mains, so I ordered Chief's Aide McGregor to
request San Francisco command at the Claremont to special-call a hose
tender with five-inch hose from San Francisco. She relayed the message by
Department radio and the hose tender was sent.
"The fire began to move swiftly from Manchester Dr. toward
Margarido in a southwesterly direction, and a large home would become
fully involved within ten minutes of catching fire.
"I could hear PG&E gas meters exploding in the area; they would
just go `pop' and then continue to burn with flame up to three feet high. I
also heard tires exploding on automobiles parked inside burning garages.
"I was watching a mansion at 6001 Margarido," Battalion Chief
Tracey said, "it had a shake roof and there was a little smoke curling from
it, apparently caused by pre-heating.
"I had Firefighter [Earl] "Bud" Dunn, the driver of Engine 1, take
off the hose-reel line and try to hose down the roof. I had him just hit it
with as much as he could. It was like nothing. The roof was gone in five
minutes, and the entire building was gone in ten."
The Marin County strike team saved homes at 6065, 6067 and 6075
Manchester Dr., and also a home at 6126 Ocean View Dr. with water
provided by Oakland Engine 15 which had taken a hydrant at Ocean View
and Margarido Dr.
Lieutenant Frederick C. Walsh was the officer of Truck 8 which was
placed out of service on the orders of Chief Postel to staff Hose Tender 8.
Hose Tenders 8 and 15 crossed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and
were staged at the Claremont Hotel. Hose Tender 8 was then detailed to
Battalion Chief Tracey in Division G, and arrived there at 3:45 p.m.
The crew from Engine 8, which had just returned from saving the
College Preparatory School, and the hose tender crew began to lay 3,000
feet of five-inch line from Broadway St. and Ocean View Dr. up to
Margarido Dr. The crew of Engine 29, which had just come from
Brookside and Buena Vista, also assisted with the hoselay. They also
dropped portable hydrants along the way.
Lieutenant Walsh, the officer of hose tender said, "When we arrived,
we laid hose ramps across Broadway and put out the hydrants along Ocean
View.
"We had to hand-carry five-inch hose down to Engine 1 on
Margarido," said Lt. Walsh, "because we did not want to block the street
with the apparatus. We had a lot of people from Naval Air Station,
Alameda there, and they helped us carry 50-foot bundles of three-inch and
100-foot bundles of five-inch. There were about 10 or 12 guys helping us,
and they were wonderful. They also carried the Gleeson pressure
reduction valves and the portable hydrants," he said.
"Engine 8 took the hydrant at Broadway and Ocean View," said
Lt. Mark Kearney. "We led three lines into a wye which supplied the five-
inch hose that was extended up Ocean View to Margarido." Engine 8 later
developed mechanical difficulty and was replaced at the Oakland hydrant
by Engine 29.
Engine 8 was then brought up Margarido Dr. by Firefighter Steven
P. Jones.
"There was a dire need for three-inch hose," Firefighter Jones said,
"so I took the engine up to Margarido, and stopped in front of 6050, and
made a big-line lead from one of the portable hydrants and went right past
Engine 1."
"As we dragged the line up the street," the firefighter said, "a house
began to burn at 6000, so we made a lead across the garden and up the
steep uphill slope between houses. We then wyed the line and took two
one-and-one-half inch lines up into the area and saved at least five houses.
We stopped the head of the conflagration at 5921 Margarido."
Lieutenant Kearney said, "I had my company take two big [three-inch] lines
off Engine 29 and attach them to a Gleeson valve which they had already
attached to the portable hydrant, and two leads were led. One was a supply
line to Engine 1 The other was wyed, and two one-and-one-half-inch lines
were led into the back yards and on to rooftops for structure protection.
"Then I had one of my firefighters take another Gleeson valve from
Engine 1 and attach it to another outlet on the opposite side of the portable
hydrant, and extend two large line leads with more hose from Engine 29.
One of the big-line leads supplied a company of Fremont firefighters who
had walked over from the Oakland command post. We put them to work
in the 6000 block of Margarido."
Lieutenant Walsh's crew -- composed of firefighters Tom Posey,
Dan Casey, Joe Naldo, Jim Favero, Don Russo and John Cheung -- began to
attack fires in exposure buildings along Margarido, and went from one
structure to another to put out fires.
"We were on one roof and we had just taken some hose when Engine
8's relief valve stuck," said Lt. Walsh. "The pump operator couldn't jack
up the pressure. That's why [Engine] 29 took over for [Engine] 8. In that
short time span we kept running out of water. Once that was solved we
just moved from one roof to another.
"There were about three of us who went up on one roof that was real
hot. I was debating whether we could make a stand on this one roof that
was 3 or 4 houses down from 6050 Margarido," said Lt. Walsh. "The fire
was jumping houses, and it was so hot on this roof that it felt like standing
in front of a barbecue for 45 minutes. We took off our shirts and hosed
ourselves down it was so hot, but we were able to make a good stop," he
said.
The crew of Engine 36 made stops farther south on Margarido.
By 5 p.m., firefighters along the line were exhausted, and Battalion
Chief Tracey said, "I requested the San Francisco command post to begin
the relief of the firefighters.
"There was a sudden loss of water pressure from the five-inch
system at about 7 p.m. The driver of Engine 29 told me on the
Department radio that the line had been severed at Broadway and Ocean
View. There was an Oakland mini-
Lieutenant Walsh's crew had just climbed to the roof of an exposure
building with a one-and-one-half-inch line when the five-inch supply line
ruptured. "We had to back off because some guy from [KPIX] Channel 5
broke the hose. The Oakland engine had a supply from another hydrant
and was able to put up a water curtain to protect us, and they were hitting
it pretty good," Lt. Walsh said. "This was the hottest part of the fire that I
remember."
The five-inch line ruptured when driven over by a television news
van. An Oakland Police Department radio car later drove over, and
ruptured, another five-inch hose section at Margarido and Ocean View Dr.,
but there was not a full loss of water pressure. That hose was also
replaced.
"At 9 p.m., the winds suddenly dropped to nothing," said Battalion
Chief Tracey, "and we began to get actual control of the area, and a
Department van arrived with 15, maybe 20 personnel to relieve
firefighters on Margarido. The only thing wrong was that they did not
send any company officers, so I requested officers or a battalion chief to
respond."
At about 9:30 p.m., Assistant Chief Hickey and Battalion Chief
Seyler came to survey the area. "I saw that they had their area pretty much
controlled, Assistant Chief Hickey said. "They had laid a five-inch line
down Ocean View to Broadway and supplied all the units," he said. "They
did some great work up there." He then returned to the Claremont Hotel to
assume the command of Oakland Division C at 10 p.m.
Battalion Chief Frisella, Capt. John M. Payne, Capt. Douglas L.
Gooden, and Lt. Michael Bonnel later arrived from the San Francisco
command post at the Claremont Hotel in a Department van to take charge
of the relief firefighters.
"I turned my command over to Dave Frisella," said Battalion Chief
Tracey.
"I assumed command of the companies along Margarido which were
working off the five-inch lead. They were just beginning to overhaul 6012
Margarido when I arrived," said Battalion Chief Frisella.
He said, "I was assisting Oakland units quite a bit, because they were
trying to extend leads into buildings for overhaul operations. At one point,
I asked the Oakland command post for a fuel unit to assist Oakland Engine
29."
"The condition of our crews was of concern to me, and I sent a relief
crew down to Lt. Dan Dente on Engine 36 at Rockridge Pl. and Rockridge
Pl. South. His crew was pretty well beaten up; they were tired and wet and
had been wearing Scott's the whole time," said Battalion Chief Frisella.
"During the night," he said, "we began to overhaul buildings where
we saw smoke coming off rooftops. We knocked down all the existing
fires there, and an Oakland captain said he could take care of the rest of
them.
"We picked up the five-inch hose line and then I sent Engine
Companies 1, 8 and 29 back to the Oakland command post. A Department
van took the firefighters to the San Francisco command post at 2 a.m., and
I was sent home at 4 a.m.," Battalion Chief Frisella said.
Broadway Terr. and Duncan
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