Fire tears through East Bay Media Center overnight

A large fire destroyed the East Bay Media Center in downtown Berkeley overnight, prompting evacuations of nearby buildings, according to early reports.

Someone called 911 shortly after 3 a.m. to report a couch on fire outside the building, at 1939 Addison St. west of Milvia Street, according to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.

Berkeley police and firefighters responded quickly and found an active fire underway.

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A police officer described the building as "fully engulfed on the inside" as of about 3:12 a.m., adding, "I'll be blocking traffic eastbound on Addison."

Police quickly began evacuating nearby apartment buildings in case the fire spread.

Arriving Berkeley firefighters found "heavy fire going" in the single-story commercial building that's been home to the East Bay Media Center for decades.

"The building does appear to be fully involved and empty at this time," one firefighter confirmed over the radio minutes later.

BFD initially attacked the fire from the outside, sending in water through a hose in a skylight via an "aerial operation" using a ladder truck, according to radio dispatches.

Some of the firefighters had to crawl inside through a window to fight the blaze due to the building's locked doors, according to early reports.

At about 3:40 a.m., firefighters reported a "change in conditions," with fire starting to spread on one side of the building.

A nearby resident also reported active fire on their balcony, prompting more evacuations shortly before 4 a.m., according to radio dispatches.

BFD contacted PG&E during the fire response, asking for help to turn off the utilities.

"Let them know it is an emergency," a firefighter advised dispatch at about 4 a.m. "Part of this fire is being gas fed and we cannot extinguish it. We cannot shut the gas off."

At various times throughout the night, firefighters described difficulty accessing parts of the fire to put it out at the source.

At about 4:40 a.m., fire crews saw the roof starting to collapse on one side of the building.

Firefighters at the scene called for an investigator to respond and had declared the fire under control by about 5:25 a.m., about 2.5 hours after it started, according to emergency dispatches.

Residents were allowed to return home beginning at about 6 a.m., according to early reports.

The East Bay Media Center (EBMC) was created as a nonprofit in 1980 focused on "providing technical and educational media needs to communities in the East Bay."

The agency "gained popularity as a Media advocate for community involvement, especially for marginalized youth and minorities," according to its website.

In 1998, the EBMC moved to a new home on Addison Street under the leadership of Mel Vapour (who died recently) and Paul Kealoha Blake, who had both been part of the original board.

As of publication time, the organization had not posted updates about the fire on its Facebook page. The Scanner will work to learn more.

BFD shared the following update at about 2:35 p.m. It appears below in full.

At approximately 3:15am on April 14, 2025, Berkeley Fire Department responded to report of a structure on fire on the 1900 block of Addison Street.

Initial reports indicated flames at the front of the building. When Berkeley Police arrived on scene, they found the entire commercial structure—identified as a media center—fully engulfed in flames. Fire crews arrived moments later to find a heavy amount of fire blowing out of the front and roof of the building.

20- to 30-foot flames breached the roof and flames were touching adjacent buildings threatening to engulf the surrounding structures. Immediately both apartment buildings were evacuated. The media center was unoccupied at the time of the incident.

PG&E was called to assist in gaining access to the underground street vault to shut off all utilities, as fire crews on scene could not access the equipment.

Due to the intensity of the fire, crews initiated a defensive attack strategy from the outside of the building. Aerial ladders, water towers, and large-diameter hose lines were deployed, with water applied from multiple sides of the building to fight the fire.

About halfway through fighting the fire, the rear section of the building's roof collapsed fanning more flames into the structure. Fire crews were able to contain the fire without it breaching into adjacent structures, though some exterior walls were scorched, some were windows cracked, and apartments with open windows might have allowed smoke to enter the adjacent buildings. These damages did not prevent people from re-entering and occupying the building once the fire was extinguished.

The fire was extinguished in 2.5 hours. There were approximately 23 firefighters that helped fight the intense blaze. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported. We have no damage estimates or cause of the fire yet.

Stay tuned for ongoing updates.