Emeryville residents began reporting smoky air around 9 p.m. Saturday as a fire burned on an abandoned railway trestle and nearby vegetation in West Oakland, near the EBMUD wastewater treatment plant.
Oakland firefighters were dispatched around 8:45 p.m. to the area of West Grand Avenue and Wake Avenue, where the fire was burning on the old trestle and surrounding vegetation near the EBMUD property.
Firefighters were able to stop the fire’s forward progress and prevent it from spreading to structures. Embers did ignite several spot fires in the EBMUD yard, however, according to Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Meineke. The wastewater treatment plant itself was not threatened.
The Oakland Fire Department advised residents within 3 miles of the fire to keep their windows and doors closed because of smoke that could irritate the airways. No structures were reported threatened.
By Sunday morning, firefighters were still working to fully extinguish the blaze. Meineke said favorable weather conditions helped limit the fire’s spread, with the large abandoned trestle itself presenting the biggest challenge to crews.
Battalion Chief Ryan Meineke provided the following update at 1045 PM tonight. Crews will be on scene thru Sunday morning attempting to extinguish this fire. Residents living in the vicinity the incident should keep windows + doors closed until air quality conditions improve. https://t.co/KwoWZlRG2z pic.twitter.com/wP7vvXC9vA
— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) August 23, 2026
The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Sunday morning. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The fire occurred less than a mile from the site of the proposed Costco warehouse.
The trestle has caught fire multiple times in recent years. A section of the structure beneath an overpass was previously removed after earlier fires began threatening freeway infrastructure.
The structure is a remnant of the long-defunct East Bay Electric Lines, which operated electric railway service throughout the East Bay before later becoming the Interurban Electric Railway. The system ceased operations in 1941.
According to local railway historian Cam Lutece, the section is the last remaining portion of the Northbound Berkeley arm of the former railway system.
The abandoned flyover has also become a location for improvised shelters.
This is a developing story that we will continue to update as new information becomes available.
Would have been nice to receive the alert last night. I knew something was up because I had a difficult time breathing this morning. Weather app said air quality “good” and green. Is there some alert system to sign up for?!
Please sign up for AC Alert., An AC Alert notification went out to all Oakland residents that night at 1030PM., and follow Oakland Fire Dept on social media.
Informative. Thanks!