Features

New station opens 

Berkeley’s newest firehouse opened for business in the Berkeley Hills Wednesday morning as crews and engines left their old station at 2910 Shasta Road and rolled into their new quarters at 300 Shasta. 

Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth said firefighters rolled to their last call from the old station at 11:57 p.m. Tuesday night and rolled the doors of the new station opened for business at 8 a.m. Wednesday 

“The new location gives us much better access for answering calls,” said Orth. 

An oops fire 

The resident of a studio apartment at 2698 Sacramento St. learned the hard way Saturday night that’s it’s not a good notion to pile belongings atop a floor furnace. 

“It was a one-story stucco apartment, and flames and smoke were visible through the front windows” when firefighters arrived in response to a 10:54 p.m. call, said Orth. 

By the time the flames had been doused they had done $30,000 in damage to the building and incinerated or otherwise damaged $10,000 worth of its contents. 

“It’s that time of year when we have this kind of fire,” said Orth. When the weather first turns cold, and floor furnaces kick in, the first things to catch fire are flammables carelessly left on the grills above them. 

The culprit Saturday night was a box of clothing and shoes, he said. 

Unwatched pot 

Another unwatched pot not only boiled but burned Sunday afternoon. 

The blaze, which consumed a crock pot, also charred kitchen cabinetry in a communal kitchen at 2613 Benvenue Ave. Orth said he had no dollar estimate on the damage.