Updated Sept 2025
Wow, the above headline is sensational at its best.
A fast-moving brush fire that destroyed at least four homes in Oakland threatened at least 50 more homes in the area of Pine Needle Road and Upper Broadway Terrace. This was on September 25, 1937.
The photo below was taken at the height of the blaze, but before the fire jumped Tunnel Road.
Families Flee
Oakland’s civilian defense police knocked on doors to tell the residents of Broadway Terrace, Upper Montclair, and Piedmont Pines to evacuate.
Their families fled their homes in fear; others who sought to save their belongings were ordered out by the firefighters.
Big Trees Burn
The fire started close to the home of Police Inspector Jesse Jackson at 6019 Pinewood Road at around 3 pm on September 25, 1937, possibly due to someone burning trash in their yard.
During the first six hours, the fire had burned across the western edge of the Pinehaven district, up Broadway Terrace to a point just below Skyline Blvd., and then back down another canyon to the west.
Flames burned through acre upon acre of brush and climbed up into the tops of pine and eucalyptus trees.
Hoselines Burned
Several hundred feet of hose laid across brush to ease the link from the pumps to the fire area were destroyed by flames. Lack of water was a problem; they had used up all the water in the reservoirs (tanks) in the immediate area.
The abnormally high temperature, combined with the heat of the flames, made it difficult to fight the fire.
Eyewitness Accounts
C.F. Humphrey – 13025 Broadway Terrace
Mrs. Marguerite Risley – 6493 Farralone Way
Homes Lost or Damaged
Homes Destroyed
- 6142 Ruthland Road
- 6539 Gwin Road
- 15030 Broadway Terrace
Homes Damaged
- 16060 Broadway Terrace
- 17014 Broadway Terrace
- 17044 Broadway Terrace
- 17050 Broadway Terrace
- 6142 Pinewood Road
Arrest
The fire started when a “backyard bonfire” got out of control. An Oakland music teacher was arrested the Monday after the fire for burning trash in his home at 6064 Mountain Blvd. He stated the fire got out of hand and spread up the canyon towards Skyline Blvd.
The music teacher was charged with a misdemeanor and was freed on $100 bail after explaining to the court that he did not know he needed a permit. He also said, “a sudden gust of wind spread the fire.”
Later, the court suspended his sentence and the $100 fine, as it did not believe he had set the fire intentionally, but rather due to carelessness. The teacher was put on probation for 180 days.
1929 Fire
There was a fire in November 1929 in the same area. Some of the same homes were damaged at that time. The Powers home at 6142 Ruthland Road was damaged in 1929, only to be destroyed by fire in 1937. The Albright home at 16060 Broadway Terrace was damaged in both fires.
More Info:
- Flames Sear Path In Oakland – Oakland Post Enquirer Sept 27, 1937
- Music Teacher Arrested – Oakland Tribune, Sept 27, 1937
- Man Who Started the Fire – SF Chronicle Oct 30, 1937
