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Established journalism

The 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Fire Revisited

TIME

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’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

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    Why editors use it here

    Photographic and reported retrospective on the firestorm's spread, destruction, deaths, and enduring memory.

    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