Illegal fireworks ignited dozens of fires across the Bay Area on the Fourth of July — from Oakland and Alameda to Antioch and San Jose — with Oakland Fire Department responding to more than 60 fires.
As the Chronicle reports, in Oakland, the fire department responded to more than four times the city’s average of 12–15 daily incidents on the July 4th holiday — not including yesterday's mammoth four-alarm warehouse fire, which appeared to be unrelated to fireworks.
As KPIX reports, among the most serious was a structure fire at a two-story duplex on the 1600 block of 78th Avenue, reported around 10:40 p.m. Friday. The blaze injured one resident and killed two dogs. About 30 firefighters responded, and the fire was under control by 11:15 p.m.
Update: This incident has been placed Under Control as of 11:14pm. Red Cross was requested for support services. Approximately 30 firefighters remain on scene. Two dogs died and one person transported by Falck. Cause of fire = illegal fireworks. https://t.co/BggT1tfw79 pic.twitter.com/3QHEL1ZwEq
— Oakland Fire Department (CA) (@OaklandFireCA) July 5, 2025
Alameda County Fire responded to about 26 fireworks-related calls, including dumpster and grass fires. “Nobody died, we just have a lot of tired firefighters,” said department spokesperson Cheryl Hurd.
As Mercury News reports, two homes in Alameda were destroyed and two others suffered minor damage in a fire sparked around 7:30 p.m. near Sandalwood Isle and Otis Drive. Fire crews knocked it down within 45 minutes. One home was vacant, and the resident of the other took refuge at a friend’s house. No injuries were reported.
As KPIX reports, a fireworks-related explosion in Antioch around midnight Saturday on Spanos Street injured five people, with injuries ranging from minor to critical, according to Contra Costa County Fire spokesperson Lauren Ono.
Earlier in the afternoon, fireworks ignited a vegetation fire behind Antioch’s Country Manor Park that quickly traveled uphill into the backyard of a home on Point Andrus Court. The flames reached a fence line, but crews managed to extinguish the fire within 15 minutes. No injuries were reported.
In North Fair Oaks, an unincorporated area in San Mateo County, a juvenile was injured in a suspected fireworks incident and transported to Stanford Hospital, Redwood City Battalion Chief Jeff Balton confirmed. He said there were no significant fires in the area, calling it “good for us, and good for the community.”
San Jose Fire crews responded to a tree fire on Carmel Drive that spread to three homes and damaged two vehicles. One vehicle sustained heavy damage, and a resident was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to department spokesperson Hannah Denys.
Despite widespread fire activity, officials across the region reported no fatalities, thanks in large part to quick response from exhausted fire crews.
Top image: Screenshot from video; OaklandFireLive/Twitter
