Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood suffers ‘devastating’ loss in community center fire

A busy community center in Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood that serves thousands of meals every week to people in need was gutted by a fire early Saturday, fire officials said.

The blaze at the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay was reported shortly after 1 a.m. and is believed to have sparked at nearby homeless camp, though the cause is still under investigation, fire officials said.

No injuries were reported in the fire and it’s not clear whether any residents of the homeless camp were displaced, said Oakland fire spokesman Michael Hunt.

The fire was under control by 1:40 a.m. at the two-story building, located at 655 International Blvd. and adjacent to Clinton Park.

Hunt said:

“This is obviously a huge loss for the community. Thousands of residents rely on meals distributed by the center.”

Oakland City Council President Nikki Bas said the center’s loss was “devastating” for the city’s Eastlake and Vietnamese community.

In a Twitter post Saturday, she said:

“We were planning to come together at Clinton Park Sunday for Lunar New Year and will still come together for support, solidarity and safety for all our communities and in unity.”