OAKLAND – As crews continued to battle a blaze at Schnitzer Steel in West Oakland on Wednesday night, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District warned that heavy smoke from the fire could impact several East Bay cities and possibly even reach San Jose.
In an advisory, the air district said winds were expected to push the smoke south and east into Alameda, Fremont, Oakland and San Leandro. There were additional reports of smoke in Newark and Contra Costa County.
“The air district is not forecasting an exceedance of the national air quality standard for the region and is not issuing a Spare the Air Alert,” the district said in the advisory.
The air district urged residents who smell smoke to stay inside with windows and doors closed until smoke levels subside. Air conditioning units and vehicle ventilation systems should be set to re-circulate to keep smoke from moving inside, according to the air district.
The fire was reported around 5:30 p.m. at Schnitzer Steel, located at 1101 Embarcadero West, said Oakland Interim Fire Chief Damon Covington. The company, which changed its name to Radius Recycling last month, specializes in collecting, processing and selling recycled steel.
Covington said crews “got water on the fire, but it grew rapidly.” Smoke from the fire was visible for miles.
Chief Damon Covington provided an update at 915pm on the status of tonight’s incident at Schnitzer Steel. The fire is Under Control. Credit to the 20+ Oakland firefighters & @SFFDPIO & @alamedacityfire fire boats. Smoke continues to be seen as crews put more water on the pile. pic.twitter.com/rfkvxSm8VH
— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) August 10, 2023
As of 7:30 p.m., the fire was contained to a single pile of debris but not yet under control.
Crews were continuing to put water on the blaze as heavy equipment operators worked to pick apart the pile to help locate and extinguish hot spots, according to the fire department. Fire boats from Alameda and San Francisco also provided support from the estuary.
“Until we can get all the way into the pile to put all the fire out, we’re going to be out here for a while,” Covington said.
There was no fire threat to surrounding homes and businesses, said Oakland Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt.
Similar to the air district, the fire department advised residents to take precautionary health measures such as avoiding the Jack London Square area and keeping windows closed.
As the fire continues to produce smoke, a hazardous materials team will conduct air quality testing, the fire department said in a social media post, adding that it will work with Alameda County health officials to provide air quality updates and guidance.
Schnitzer is no stranger to fires – or controversy. In 2021, the Oregon-based company agreed to pay $4.1 million to settle allegations that its metal shredding facility spewed toxic emissions over the surrounding neighborhood. The Oakland Athletics, in a separate lawsuit filed in 2020, also claimed multiple fires had broken out at Schnitzer in recent years. At the time, the baseball team was seeking to redevelop Howard Terminal as a ballpark, a project that was opposed by the company.
In a social media post Wednesday night, Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval said he was “sad” to see another fire burning at Schnitzer. The baseball team, he added, has filed multiple lawsuits against the company and will continue to pursue them.
Sad to see that. The @Athletics have multiple lawsuits against Schnitzer. We will continue to pursue them. https://t.co/klTpQbfYpg
— Dave Kaval (@DaveKaval) August 10, 2023
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Check back for updates.
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