Photo: Matt Horn / KTVU

BREAKING: Horn Barbecue Devastated by Fire

November 21, 2023
2
1 min read

West Oakland’s Horn Barbecue was ravaged by flames in an early morning blaze.

A 4:20 a.m. alert on the Citizens App alerted users to Oakland firefighters responding to a commercial building that turned out to be Horn’s Barbecue located at 2534 Mandela Pkwy.

Photos shared by owner Matt Horn with KTVU showed the level of destruction from the blaze which appeared substantial. The building has been “red-tagged” according to their report.

Interior damage from the blaze (Photo: Matt Horn/KTVU)

While it is not clear if related, Horn addressed recent vandalism and attempted break in at his establishment on a tersely worded social media post calling out the perpetrators as “cowards.”

“To you cowardly individuals responsible for this, hear me clearly: you are nothing more than the filth that plagues our beautiful city,” Horn scribed. “Your actions are a pathetic display of disrespect and ignorance, attacking not just our business but the very fabric of our community in which you inhabit. If you think your attempts to undermine and intimidate my business leads me to believe you are more ignorant than expected. All you have done is reminded us of the relentless work still needed to cleanse our streets of such destructive behavior.”

Horn asserted that the fire was not related to any meal preparation in his interview with KTVU fueling speculation of arson. “There was no cooking at that time,” he said.

Horn has not been shy over the years in addressing the challenges of running a business in the area. Former Brown Sugar Kitchen owner Tanya Holland expressed similar frustrations before opting to move her business.

Despite these challenges, Horn has been rapidly expanding his food empire in Oakland over the past few years opening Matty’s Old Fashioned in Old Oakland and Kowbird in West Oakland.

Horn later shared the news via his personal account in a heart-wrenching post but committing to distribute free Turkey’s to family’s in need as planned. “Together, we will rise from these ashes, guided by a shared vision and unyielding spirit.”

Horn has established a GoFundMe targeting $200,000 to help them rebuild.

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Rob Arias

is a third generation Californian and East Bay native who lived in Emeryville from 2003 to 2021. Rob founded The E'ville Eye in 2011 after being robbed at gunpoint and lamenting the lack of local news coverage. Rob's "day job" is as a creative professional.

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