An early morning fire Tuesday destroyed a popular bookstore on College Avenue in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood, and displaced five people who lived upstairs.
The fire was first reported at 5:25 am Tuesday, and grew to a three-alarm blaze at 5433 College Avenue. The building was the longtime home of Diesel Bookstore, and in recent years had changed its name to East Bay Booksellers.
The bookstore was a popular spot for booklovers and frquently hosted author events and book signings.
Video and images posted by the Oakland Fire Department show flames and heavy damage to the bookstore.
Crews on scene of a 3 Alarm fire in the 5400 block of College Ave. Fire started at 525am inside a bookstore. OFD still has approx 60 firefighters on scene. Currently only one exposure building needed to be evacuated, with 5 tenants temporarily displaced. No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/WH9ixKNozs
— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) July 30, 2024
The cause of the fire, and whether it originated upstairs or in the bookstore, is still not known.
An initial report by the OFD suggested there were five tenants displaced upstairs, but a subsequent report by KTVU, quoting Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington, suggested that four people were displaced.
One person reportedly suffered minor injuries.
As of 7:41 am, a section of College Avenue between Manila and Lawton avenues remained closed as firefighters continued the mopping up effort.
