Authorities investigate RV trailer fire in northwest Berkeley
"We have one [reporting party] saying it's a tree next to a building and another saying a trailer is exploding," a dispatcher told police.
An RV trailer went up in flames Sunday night on Seventh Street in northwest Berkeley.
One caller alerted the Berkeley Fire Department to a possible structure fire after seeing smoke and flames from a few blocks away just before 9:50 p.m.
Other callers said they were concerned about an RV trailer and the commercial building and tree that were close to it as the fire grew.
"We have one [reporting party] saying it's a tree next to a building and another saying a trailer is exploding," a dispatcher told police.
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Arriving fire crews found the trailer "fully engulfed in flames" in the 1300 block of Seventh Street, between Gilman and Camelia streets, BFD said in response to a Scanner inquiry.
"The fire was brought under control very quickly," said BFD spokeswoman Dafina Dailey in a prepared statement. "After extinguishing the fire, PG&E was notified."
No one was hurt during the response.
During the operation, firefighters forced their way inside the nearby commercial building to make sure nothing inside had ignited.
In the end, firefighters determined that the flames reached power lines and got within 5 feet of the building, authorities said.
BFD said Berkeley police also responded to the fire scene "to secure the RV for towing."
"Due to extensive fire damage, vehicle details could not be identified," Dailey said. "The investigation is ongoing."
A reader asked TBS for details about Sunday's fire after seeing crews removing debris and fixing power lines Monday, in addition to scorched trees where the RV had been parked.
A Google Street View search by The Scanner shows an RV in the area of the fire as recently as March and as far back as 2020.
No other information was available as of publication time about the RV trailer that burned Sunday, but the Google photos indicate a history of at least one RV parking on the block.
Over the radio, authorities identified the nearby warehouse as a location linked to Viks Distributors, one arm of the popular Viks Chaat Indian restaurant and grocery store, a West Berkeley institution that's located about 1.5 miles away.
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Emilie Raguso
Emilie Raguso
Emilie Raguso
