Fire guts former East Oakland library branch

A vacant building in East Oakland that was once a library branch has been gutted in a one-alarm fire that hasn’t yet been controlled, a fire spokeswoman said.

Oakland Fire Department Chief of Staff Angela Pinon described the former Miller Avenue Branch Library at 1449 Miller Ave. as “a total loss.” However, she said firefighters believe no one was inside the two-story building when the blaze was reported at 1:49 p.m. today and there have been no reports of injuries.

Pinon said a battalion chief, four engines and two trucks responded to the fire.

Pinon said there was a two-alarm fire at the same building last April 25 in which a firefighter suffered a broken ankle and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

According to the website Oakland Wiki, the Miller Avenue Branch Library is a Spanish Colonial Revival-style building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been named an Oakland city landmark.

The website says the library was built in 1914 but was boarded up after the city decided in the 1990s that it needed major seismic upgrades but didn’t have the funds to make the upgrades.