Oakland fire crews were still at the scene of a Rockridge bookstore fire hours after the building became engulfed in flames early Tuesday morning, but the officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The fire was reported around 5:25 a.m. at East Bay Booksellers at 5433 College Ave. In a video posted to the social media platform X, Oakland fire Chief Damon Covington said crews discovered heavy smoke and flames upon arrival. About 60 firefighters initially responded to the three-alarm blaze.
Five tenants in the adjacent apartment building were displaced as the fire spread, and the businesses on the first floor of that building lost their power temporarily, according to Oakland Fire Department spokesperson Michael Hunt.
The building on the other side of the bookstore, home to the cocktail bar George & Walt's, was not damaged by the fire, Hunt added.
Investigators hope to use surrounding surveillance footage to determine where the fire began.
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