Features

Berkeley firefighters faced a frantic afternoon Thursday. 

The first action began at 2:29 p.m., when they were summoned to rescue a worker trapped on the roof of a small building at 136 Alvarado Rd. A quick trip down the ladder and the worker was back on terra firma. 

Then, at 2:52 p.m., engines rushed off to suppress what turned out to be a minor kitchen fire at 1208 Oregon St. 

Five minutes later, they were summoned to the intersection of Delaware Street and Acton Way, where a hapless pedestrian had tumbled into an eight-foot-deep Pacific Gas & Electric trench. 

The gentleman was rescued and suffered no lasting injuries from his tumble, said Acting Fire Chief David Orth. 

Finally, at 3:34 p.m., they rushed to the Shattuck Hotel, after callers reported thick smoke rising from the building. 

The source was quickly determined to be the grill in the kitchen of an Indian restaurant where the chef was preparing a large batch of tandoori chicken, minus the traditional clay oven. 

“The sauce contains a lot of sugar, and that’s what caused the smoke,” Orth said. “I have to say, it smelled pretty good.”›