Oakland’s Vietnamese American center damaged in ‘devastating’ overnight fire

The Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay, which has provided meals, education and immigration services to the Oakland community for more than two decades, was damaged by an overnight fire on Saturday.

The fire at the two-story building on Clinton Square on 7th Avenue and International Boulevard was reported at about 1:11 a.m. Saturday morning, said Oakland Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt.

By 1:40 a.m. about 35 firefighters had put out the flames, which damaged significant portions of the building. The extent of the destruction was still being determined but it was a “huge loss” for the surrounding neighborhood, Hunt said, citing the thousands of meals a week the center provides nearby residents in need. No one was injured in the fire.

Shirley Gee, the center’s executive director, said the fire was a setback but vowed to reopen on Monday and continue the group’s work, which includes delivering 30,000 meals a month for 2,500 clients, mostly seniors and families in need.

“I have to admit I cried,” Gee said. “I thought 2020 was bad, I was really looking forward to 2021.”

About 35 percent of the center was damaged, Gee said, including the computer lab that they use for digital literacy lessons. It’s still unclear how much of the center’s food was burned since at any given time they store enough food for 50,000 meals. The center also provides English classes, emergency preparedness classes,  naturalization assistance and more.

Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas said on Twitter the fire was ” devastating for the Eastlake and Vietnamese community.” The fire comes a day before a Lunar New Year celebration at the park scheduled for Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is still expected to take place.

This is devastating for the Eastlake and Vietnamese community. 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. Thank you @OaklandFFs. https://t.co/05KlOau8dP

— Nikki Fortunato Bas, Council President, Oakland (@nikki4oakland) February 6, 2021

Hunt said they are aware of a long-standing encampment of unhoused residents in the back of the center’s building, but said they won’t know if that’s where the fire started until there has been a full investigation.

Jennifer Tran, executive director of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, said on Saturday about 30 percent of the center was damaged in the fire, which “also destroyed the tents and the possessions of the unsheltered community who lives here, who are primarily Vietnamese immigrant men.”

Nine unhoused residents were displaced in the fire, and Tran said her organization was working with the city of Oakland and other groups to help them find shelter, as well as working with businesses in the area so the Vietnamese American Community Center could continue the work it does for residents, particularly seniors in the neighborhood.

“This is a time for us to come together to find solutions on how we could keep each other safe,” Tran said.

Bas said on Twitter she’s working with community leaders to determine if the building can be used and repaired, as well as addressing homelessness in the city.

“We are assessing how many unhoused residents were displaced & supporting them,” Bas said on Twitter. “I’ve been advocating for housing (people) on public vacant land & buildings for everyone’s safety and dignity. Council will discuss homeless funding Monday.”

Gee said she’s frustrated that more wasn’t done to prevent the fire, saying her staff has had to put out other small fires at the encampment which had surrounded the building so much that the U.S. Postal Service had warned her yesterday it would stop delivering the mail. But for now, she’s focused on her clients, many of them homebound seniors, depending on the center to bring them groceries on Monday and on fundraising on the group’s website for repairs.

“For the short term we’re just going to open up and keep going and figure out how we’re going to take care of the long term solution,” she said.