A cannabis grow warehouse in East Oakland went up in smoke in the early morning of 4/20.
The blaze broke out shortly after 4:20 a.m. at a lived-in RV parked just in front of the warehouse, located at 1000 40th Ave. in East Oakland. Ten fire engines and nearly 60 firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire and had contained it by 6:05 a.m., said Oakland fire spokesman Michael Hunt.
There were no reported injuries.
Juana Ochoa lives two doors down from the cannabis grow facility. She woke up early to popping sounds, and first thought that someone was lighting fireworks. When she opened up her front door to look outside, she saw an RV on her street bursting into flames.
Ochoa watched as the flames climbed up toward electrical wires hanging overhead between two street lamps. The wires started emitting sparks, she said, and then dropped onto the warehouse, which then caught fire.
Ochoa, who has lived on this street with her family for 20 years, said she often sees some of the homeless people living in RVs starting fires to keep warm.
“They’ll often just leave fires burning through the night and walk away,” Ochoa said. “Here you are — you’re exposing everybody to danger, and look at what happens.”
It’s unclear if the cannabis growing site was legally permitted. A security guard on site said that the owners were “just starting out” their business.
Marijuana is legal in California, but business owners must obtain licenses and permits to grow the plant commercially.