The massive blaze at a seven-story construction site in Oakland Friday morning was so hot that it was picked up by a satellite in space. The National Weather Service tweeted the news, noting that the satellite, GOES16, registered a temperature of 900 kelvins, or about 1,160 degrees Fahrenheit, as ABC 7 reports.
4-Alarm fire in #Oakland hot enough to be detected on #GOES16 satellite. Estimated temp almost 900K #cawx pic.twitter.com/DgnWqeWAFD
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) July 7, 2017
The development, called Alta Waverly, was to have over 190 market-rate residential units, and following a fire at a residential construction site in Emeryville in May, the second to burn the same development in a year, speculation of arson spread fast yesterday. Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf called the fire "disconcerting," and said in a statement yesterday, "Oakland is in the middle of a housing crisis and the loss of these valuable units only exacerbates it."
The fire will likely be under investigation for days or weeks, and federal investigators are now involved.
The extreme heat from the flames reportedly caused damage to at least one neighboring building according to Oakland's acting Fire Chief Darin White. As ABC 7 reports, 700 to 900 residents of nearby buildings remain displaced and likely will not be able to return home until Sunday. The construction crane at the center of the site remains in danger of collapsing.
Previously: [Update] Huge Construction Fire Near Oakland's Lake Merritt Causes Mass Evacuation
