Updated: Carol Lane Apartments in Oakley Get Red Tagged

The apartments at Carol Lane in the City of Oakley have been red tagged by request of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

At 11:35 am Sunday, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to an elevator rescue in the City of Oakley.

Upon arrival at 67 Carol Lane, firefighters began to work an incident when they observed water running down a wall, ultimately into an electrical panel. PG&E was ultimately requested and the building power was shut off.

Upon further investigation, Contra Costa County Fire opted to work with the City of Oakley and began the process to red tag one the buildings as the wastewater was causing electrical damage and creating issues.

By 1:00 pm, Contra Costa County Fire requested additional resources as they were working to clear the building.

The City of Oakley confirmed the red tag, but offered no other details including number of occupants impacted.

By 1:55 pm, CONFIRE was dealing with a fire in the trash compactor after a cooking fire on the third floor.

Over the past few years, multiple residents have complaint publicly about the Carol Lane Apartments (The Oaks) from keeping up with maintenance and repairs while also expressing concerns over safety. It also prompted the Oakley City Council to create an ad-hoc committee to tackle affordable housing and other issues.

Oakley Vice Mayor Shannon Shaw said, “the city is aware of the situation. Residents will be moved to other vacant units or a hotel, depending if other floors will have to be evacuated. We will know more when an electrician is on scene to access the situation.

By 5:30 pm, Contra Costa County fire said PG&E determined the water to be a hazard at which time the main power was turned off. We safely evacuated 50 residents with their pets and are working with management to relocate them while cleanup and repairs are completed. The water source is believed to be a sewage leak from the 2nd floor to the electrical room.

Check back for updates.