Oakland Firestorm Wall

Local Emmys Award nominated news report from KRON-TV produced and directed by Gary Mercer featuring the Firestorm Community Mural at Rockridge BART station in Oakland which commemorates the lives of people affected by the Oakland Hills Fire of October 20th 1991. This was was a large suburban conflagration that occurred on the hillsides of northern Oakland California and southeastern Berkeley. The fire has also been called the Oakland Hills Firestorm or the East Bay Hills Fire. The fire ultimately killed 25 people and injured 150 others. Includes: views of the mural which is comprised of 2000 tiles painted by residents from the affected neighborhoods; an interview with Brooke Levin who conceived the idea for the mural (then assistant to Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris); audio-only reportage from the fire which is edited to close-ups of tiles and archival footage from October 20th 1991. Note: this mural was sponsored by the Office of the Oakland Mayor and the Cultural Arts Division City of Oakland the Oakland Community Fund Bay Area Rapid Transit Pro Arts and community volunteers. Work on the mural project was coordinated by Gail Smithwalter and it was dedicated in October 1994.