“The largest dollar fire loss in United States history occurred in the East Bay Hills, within the California cities of Oakland and Berkeley […]. Twenty-five lives were lost and more than 3,000 structures were destroyed by a wildland-urban interface fire in one of the most heavily populated metropolitan areas of the North American continent. The fire completely overwhelmed the firefighting forces of the area, consuming everything in its path, and was only stopped when the Diablo wind conditions abated. The wind had threatened to drive the fire across the entire city of Oakland.” — The East Bay Hills Fire, USFA-TR-060/October 1991
Date of Event: October 19-22, 1991
Impact
- CPI-Adjusted Estimated Cost: $6.0 billion
- Deaths: 25
Related Resources:
- East Bay Hills Fire: A Multi-Agency Review of the October 1991 Fire in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills
- Tunnel Incident – Oakland 1991: Ten Years After
- East Bay Hills Fire: Oakland-Berkeley, California
HSDL Featured Topic: Wildfires
Photo: Ground level photo of Oakland Hills fire. — NASA/DART