Alameda County DA’s Office Wants Your Help Investigating Schnitzer Steel Fire

Originally appeared in KQED News.

Updated 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday they are investigating the fire at Schnitzer Steel metal recycling facility near the Port of Oakland that sent plumes of stinky smoke across a large swath of the East Bay on August 9.

The District Attorney’s office announced the investigation on X, formerly known as Twitter, by asking the public for leads.

“We call on any community members who may possess evidence or leads regarding the fire, contact us. 510-383-8600, or email askcjb-DA@acgov.org,” they said.

“It was very overdue,” said Margaret Gordon, co-director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. “We should have a joint effort of all these agencies at the table.” She’d like to see more due diligence, and more transparency in an effort to end harms against residents of West Oakland.

Gordon also spoke at a meeting on Saturday with over 50 people, including local residents, environmental groups, and Assemblymember Mia Bonta. The meeting at Bottoms Up Community Garden in Oakland brought together locals to discuss air quality concerns in the aftermath of the Schnitzer Steel recycling yard fire.‘They say they’re doing everything they can and there’s still these toxic fires that happen year after year after year.’Pam White, Oakland resident

“If they can’t clean up, they need to go,” Gordon said. Many in attendance want to see Schnitzer Steel take responsibility, or leave.

“I know that people are here to be solution-oriented, but also to make sure that people are accountable, and one of those entities that need to be accountable, I believe, is the state,” said Bonta, who represents the 18th Assembly District that includes Oakland, Alameda and Emeryville. “My job is to make sure that those solutions turn into actions that can lead to accountability when the state is involved.”

The fire at Schnitzer Steel — which was recently rebranded as Radius Recycling — broke out on Aug. 9 in a large scrap metal pile that sent thick black plumes with aluminum, tin, steel and iron particles and other toxic air contaminants across the East Bay, as far as Milpitas in the south, before spreading north all the way to Martinez. The blaze lasted four hours and involved more than 20 firefighters, three fire engines and two fireboats, including crews from Oakland, San Francisco and Alameda. But those most immediately affected were West Oakland residents and communities who live in close proximity to the plant.

“[They say] they’re doing everything they can and there’s still these toxic fires that happen year after year after year,” said Oakland resident Pam White, who is a member of the climate justice group 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations. “That raises questions about whether they should, in fact, be in a residential neighborhood.”

“Allowing an organized industrial company like that, performing the sort of industrial activities that they have this close and up front to a residential area is completely inappropriate,” said another West Oakland resident, Philip Patrick. “And the fact that our state leaders, federal leaders have allowed something like this to take place is really a travesty.”

Oakland Fire Department spokesperson Mike Hunt said in a statement to KQED late last week that there was as yet no official cause for the fire, although he added “historically, these fires are typically caused by lithium ion batteries that get damaged while in the piles.”

During the Q&A section of Saturday’s meeting, residents asked what is being done to prevent toxic fires. Representatives from Schnitzer Steel said they inspect every load that comes onto the site. They also said an investigation is underway to learn from the most recent fire. “We are looking to enclose the rest of our shredder,” said Tasion Kwamilele, Public Affairs manager for Schnitzer Steel.

In a statement to KQED on Tuesday, Eric Potashner, chief public affairs and communications officer of Radius Recycling, said: “The Company has fully cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the investigation conducted by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office regarding the fire on August 9th, in which no injuries were reported. We are grateful for the prompt response of the Oakland Fire Department and other first responders, who swiftly arrived at our recycling facility and brought the situation to a safe conclusion.”

KQED’s Billy Cruz contributed to this report.