Oakland's old Economy Lumber warehouse destroyed in fire

OAKLAND, Calif. - Firefighters in Oakland on Sunday raced to put out a four-alarm fire at an old wooden Economy Lumber warehouse.

No injuries have been reported, but as many as 75 firefighters went to the scene on the 700 block of High Street, according to officials.

This Economy Lumber location is next to the 880 freeway. The company has been in operation since 1935.

No one was inside the warehouse during the fire, but the blaze ripped through it, destroying the building.

Oakland Fire Department's Battalion Chief Jamie Bowron said the department was dispatched to the scene at 7:45 p.m.

Officials suggested residents in the area should consider heading inside and shutting their doors and windows to prevent smoke exposure.

Fire officials have called on air quality officials to monitor the situation.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the department said they were making good progress to get the fire contained. The chief said they worked with East Bay Municipal Utilities District to tap into multiple water mains across the city.

Chief Bowron said crews initially recognized this would be a difficult fire to put out as it was "heavily established in the building."

The fire put off a significant amount of heat due to the lumber material inside the warehouse. The warehouse was used for storage but was also the main showroom for doors and windows, the chief said.

In the meantime, rail traffic in the area was closed in both directions while crews worked on the fire. Rail traffic reopened by the end of the night.

There was no word on what caused the fire.

An arson investigator is at the scene and is looking into what exactly happened. The chief said there is plenty of video they will be looking at. It is believed that the property owner also has video footage of the fire.

The chief said he expects crews to be at the scene overnight into the morning hours.

KTVU's Zak Sos and Bay City News contributed to this report.