Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-20
BLACKENED RUINS
Of CALIFORNIA CITY
SEARCHED FOR DEAD
Forty Injured and Fory-Five
Blocks Laid Waste in
Berkeley = Other Cities
MenaCed by Brush Fires

BERKELEY, Cal, Sept. 1S.-A
search for bodies among the charred
ruins of the Cramont section OF
Berkeley, laid waste by yesterdays
disastrous fire, is being conducted
today, so far without result.
Acting Chief of Police Lee has
issued notice that all hooters will
be shot and, it was announced, no
one will be allowed in the burning
area. unaccompanied by police of.
ficer.
More than $500 homeless persons
are facing the task of reconstruc.
ton. The latest revised estimates
place the property loss at $S,000,000
More than 1000 houses have been de
stroyed and upwards of forty per-
sons were injured. There are un-
confirmed reports of others killed.
The Berkeley fire department,
still augmented by portions of the
Oakland department and hundreds
of volunteers, worked throughout
the night to keep the flames within
the burned area. They continued
their work today aided by the ma.
tiOnal guard, members of the reg
serve officers training corps of the
city, and Berkeley and Oakland po-
Icemen and citizens sworn in for
emergency duty to guard the ruins.
FOrty-fiVe square blocks of Berke.
ley's most beautiful homes from the
university campus up the hill
slopes, north and east, have been
devastated by the fire which is said
to be the worst experienced by any
California city since the San Fran.
cisco disaster of 1906.
The problem of housing the home
less families and occupants of fra
tornity, sorority and apartment
houses is now occupying the atten-
ton of civic authorities. the Red
Cross and other organizations. .
Prosperous Residence, Section
Hundreds of frenzied residents
fled from the burning area as the
Ire swept down the slopes of the
hills, burned it's way through the
closely settled and exclusive dis,
trict and eventually died down to
@nouldering ring of flames encom-
passing the entire area which it
had devastated. The prosperous
ss,dential Situation was anl 9 ID
T'Tste.
The advance of the fire, which
rroke out in brush in Contra Costa
'1unty, was heralded by ugly gray
;. quds of smoke which, swept over
we brow of the hill driven by
r.sk wind, and blanketed Berkeley
throughout the day.
The fire was one of a series Of
Forest brush and grass fires, famed
ty strong northwest winds and fed
by underground baked to a finder
by the prolonged summer, which
ragged in nearly every county in
northern California yesterday.
Gets Beyond Control
Several resorts and small towns
were severely damaged or destroyed
by the flames, which sprang up in
several instances almost without
warning and spread quickly beyond
the control Of national foresters,
state fire wardens and hundreds of
volunteer fire fighters.
EldoradO,.? small mining town in
EldOrado county, was virtually de-
stroyed and the $50 persons resid-
ing there were. forced to flee. The
inhabitants of ColfaX, in Placer
county, also prepared to flee when
their town was threatened.
A fire in Sonoma valley destroyed
the Boyes Springs hotel and swept
on toward Fetters Springs and Ell
verano.
In the southern part of the state,
Forest Supervisor Chester Jordan
called for achievements for the
fire fighters in the Santa Ynez river
district in the. Santa Barbara ma.
tional forest. It was said the sit
uation was the most serious since
the fire started on September l..
More fire fighters were sent from
Los Angeles.
Woodacre, a picturesque little vii
lage ten miles from San Rafael, was
lCpOA LCu d1i1lOSL UGSlIOySu DX II 1OE-
est fire which swept through Lucas
valley.
Sailors Aid Fight
One hundred sailors and marines
were sent from Mare Island navy
yard to fight a forest fire that was
threatening the little town of Cor
della, twenty miles from the navy
yard.
The various fires have burned over
thousands of acres of grazing and
timber lands and hundreds of men
are participating in the fight against
the flames.
The Bergman reservoir district of
Berkeley, was completely wiped out.
The fire then swOoped down the slope
towards San Francisco bay and
north toward the University of Cali,
fornia.
AS the flames progressed and it
became certain that vast destruc
ton would result, all available fire
fighting apparatus in Berkeley, Oak
land and nearby cities was mobil
lied and hurried to the scene of the
cOnflagration.
The utmost confusion reigned in
the fire zone and in the district for
blocks surrounding that laid waste
by the flames. r.
Punct1ved 602 Tiroae