New evacuations ordered near Oakland apartment fire scene
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- New evacuations have been ordered across the street from a burned out apartment building that was under construction in Oakland's uptown neighborhood after glass windows shattered onto the sidewalk below.
From the 9th story up to the 15th story in this office tower at 180 Grand Avenue, glass panels spontaneously popped all afternoon, raining glass onto the sidewalk and the cars below on 23rd Street, exposing insulation and wiring.
VIDEO: A look at Oakland's Uptown building fire
As many evacuated residents were allowed back into their nearby units Saturday night and Sunday, even more people appeared to be forced out because of the shattering glass.
We hoisted a microphone up to Susan Romero's second floor apartment the same way she got a pizza delivered Sunday night - in a bag with her belts looped through it. She's stuck there.
"Because of the windows falling out of the building next door I can't go out," Romero said.
The glass windows were spontaneously popping out 9 to 15 stories up at an office building at 180 Grand Avenue.
Just two days ago that same facade of the building faced out toward a ferocious fire that destroyed an apartment project under construction here in Oakland.
PHOTOS: Massive structure fire in Uptown Oakland
One couple came back to their still smoky smelling unit today.
"As we stayed in the apartment to clean up and get some cleaning materials after 20 minutes my lungs started burning," Dee Haddad said.
They left to do laundry and now can't get back in
"We found out from Neighbors we couldn't go back because of glass shattering on the adjacent building," Saied Haddad said.
The barricades created still more challenges.
One woman parked her car on 23rd street to go to the gym at 3:00. By 5:00 her vehicle was in the glass zone. She was stuck for several hours until a firefighter was able to drive it out for her. The barricades are expected to be up all night.
"I don't know who's going to pay for everything. Everything is gone," Rinzing Lama said.
Lama's apartment was destroyed by the fire. He's heartbroken to see the damage - a kitchen filled with ashes, and clothes out the window on scaffolding so close he can touch it.
"This is scary. I don't know how the city permits it to put scaffolding like next to your window," Lama said.
He says he's been told by his landlord it will take at least three months to make his unit habitable again.
