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Government or official record

Wildfire Event: The Oakland Firestorm of 1991

City of Oakland

Cross-File evidence ledger

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the File’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Fires · 19–23 October 1991

    The 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm

    Fire origin slope above 7151 Buckingham Boulevard · United States

    Open File evidence →
    Why editors use it here

    City summary of the fire's border location, casualties, acreage, destroyed residences, and firefighting conditions.

    1. Quick read

      A brush fire above Buckingham Boulevard was controlled on 19 October 1991, then escaped again the next morning under hot, dry Diablo winds.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      Weather changed overnight.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      The cause of the original 19 October ignition was not determined.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026
    4. Why it matters

      The disaster shows why an urban wildfire is a systems failure as well as a flame front.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026