A year after the fire I entered the CCA as a student. One of my fellow students had made a series of small figures that inspired me to incorporate them with melted glass and wood found after the fire representing how we all felt adrift and in search of a place to land after losing […]
First person narrative of fighting the fire on Alvarado. NOTE: NHCA does not condone staying behind in a wildfire–45 min audio file North Hills Association · Community Comeback story – First person narrative of fighting the fire on Alvarado You can use this map to follow Roberts movements during his 48 hours inside the Firestorm […]
Read: Fighting the Fire, while Knowing that You’ve Lost Your Home by Mark Hoffmann, Oakland Fire Fighter and Fire Survivor
This tall metal bird (3.5 feet) was on my wooden deck prior to the fire. Surprisingly it did not totally melt however it could no longer stand since the metal legs were twisted from the heat. A friend of mine took the bird on a long ride to a metal worker friend living in Hat […]
This was the first sculpture I made after the destruction of my home. When I first encountered the remains of my house I found on top of the pile of ash two intact ceramic goblets fused to a portion of glass. This seemed to be a miracle that these did not break since there was […]
Over the past few weeks, scouts from Piedmont Boy Scouts Troop 15 helped Eagle Scout candidate Nathan Catalano install Trex edging along the sidewalk on Hiller to retain the soil from the Firestorm Memorial Garden. As part of his project, Nate had to measure sections to determine how much Trex was needed. Using donated Trex […]
As we venture out again after months of hunkering down during Covid, watching the news of infections among fully vaccinated individuals, please take note of these upcoming events that the North Hills Community Association board is planning to strengthen our North Hills community. Please share with neighbors and other friends who don’t subscribe to our […]
“I do remember using all these items for the fun dinner parties I had and cherishing the sugar bowl of my grandmothers and the demitasse cup given to me by a dear friend who has since passed away.“ “When I look at the wall display, I do remember that these were some of my favorite […]
When my family and I first moved into our new home in the Oakland Hills in 2003, we began our landscaping like any other family, but then I started finding items in the dirt that seemed to belong to the previous occupants of the land. We had bought the lot from people who had bought […]
Sue Piper’s Post Fire Garden Quilt—I had made a smaller quilt like this before the fire, based on art from Lois Ehler’s children’s book Planting a Rainbow. Several months after the fire, when I felt the urge to quilt again, I decided to remake the quilt but larger. The flowers represent the flowers that had […]
Here you can input your address or parcel number and find out if an inspection has been done and if you passed. Oakland Online Permit Center
Here is a useful link from EBMUD on water conservation.
Goats in the Hills Living in the Oakland hills we have become used to seeing the goat herds on the hillsides during springtime, ‘mowing down’ the grasses and weeds, which are a big part to management the vegetation in hard to reach hillsides for fire prevention. We interviewed two of the goat herders, Alberto, and […]
City Administrator Ed Reiskin announced the selection of Reginald D. Freeman to serve as the next Fire Chief for the City of Oakland. This became effective May 17, 2021. Mr. Freeman most recently has served as the Fire Chief for the City of Hartford, Connecticut since 2016. He will take over for Deputy Chief Melinda […]
The City of Oakland’s annual defensible space inspections have already started–and residents need to not only ensure that their homes and loved ones are protected, but work together for the safety of their surrounding neighborhood. While we honor the memory of Battalion Chief Riley, who gave his life protecting others in the midst of the […]
On Thursday, May 27, Oakland Fire Fighters, Councilmember Dan Kalb, and local residents joined the North Hills Community Association in rededicating a granite bench to the memory of OFD Battalion Chief James M. Riley, Jr. who died saving a fleeing resident during the 1991 Firestorm. His widow, Christine Riley thanked everyone for keeping her husband’s […]
The NHCA Earth Day was celebrated by a number of volunteers enjoying the Gateway Exhibit and Gardens (Tunnel/Hiller/Caldecott Lane) admiring the beautiful vistas, placed granite rocks and color of the current blooming from succulents as well as Iris, Red Bud and Lilies. Participating in community volunteerism gave them an opportunity to meet new friends, learn […]