Fire destroys Oakland grocery, injuring one

OAKLAND -- One person was injured in a two-alarm fire that destroyed the Neighbors Grocery at Ninth and Chester streets early Thursday in West Oakland.

The injured person was taken to Highland Hospital, said Oakland fire Lt. Chris Landry.

Two grocery store employees who lived at the rear of the store were not injured, he said. No firefighters were harmed.

Jesus Zarate, who lives in an apartment building next door, said he heard a big boom and looked outside to see the grocery store already engulfed in flames. A tree outside the store also was on fire, Zarate said.

The fire was reported at 2:47 a.m. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting out the front and side of the single-story building, Landry said.

Power lines were down and the fire was threatening an adjacent, two-story Victorian house, he said. The fire was brought under control at 3:35a.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Landry said witnesses reported hearing an explosion just before the fire broke out.

There was no immediate estimate of damage, but the roof collapsed and there was significant interior damage, he said. There was limited damage to an adjacent home, he said.

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