Three Bay Area incidents: downtown Oakland apartment fire, San Francisco church crash, Randy’s Donuts expansion plans
Downtown Oakland fire injures four and displaces tenants
A three-alarm fire tore through a five-story residential building in downtown Oakland on the morning of Jan. 19, 2026, sending three residents and one firefighter to treatment for injuries and forcing dozens of tenants out of their homes.
The fire broke out at 1770 Broadway, a 47-unit building with 43 occupied apartments. Fire crews responded around 7:15 a.m. and contained the blaze after it spread from the second floor to the roof. Officials said the cause had not been determined as investigators began examining the scene and interviewing residents.
In the aftermath, displaced tenants faced immediate housing and logistical challenges. Emergency responders and relief agencies assisted with short-term needs while residents assessed next steps. Some occupants said repeated past alarms had affected evacuation behavior, complicating the early moments of the response.
Investigators are working to determine how the fire started and how quickly it moved through the building.
Car crashes into occupied San Francisco church, injuring seven
On the afternoon of Jan. 18, 2026, a car crashed into an occupied church in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights area during a service, injuring seven people and sending three—including two children—to the hospital.
Emergency crews responded shortly before 1:30 p.m. to the 500 block of Nevada Street, where the vehicle broke through a side wall. Fire officials said people were hurt primarily by falling debris rather than direct contact with the vehicle. The driver was not reported injured.
After responders stabilized the structure, the building was inspected and deemed safe to use. The incident remained under investigation, and authorities indicated it appeared unintentional based on preliminary information.
Randy’s Donuts targets first Bay Area storefront, with Santa Clara site planned as production hub
Separately, Randy’s Donuts—an Inglewood-founded chain known for its long-running Southern California presence—has announced plans to open its first Bay Area location in Santa Clara at 2595 Homestead Road. The shop is expected to open sometime in 2026, though an exact opening date has not been released.
Plans for the Santa Clara location include operating as a commissary kitchen intended to support additional Bay Area outposts. Publicly discussed expansion concepts have referenced future sites in cities including Fremont, San Jose and Redwood City.
Planned first Bay Area address: 2595 Homestead Road, Santa Clara
Timing: expected in 2026; date not yet announced
Role: commissary kitchen for future regional locations
Together, the three developments reflect a weekend-and-weekday stretch in which public safety responses, building impacts and community disruptions intersected with continued commercial expansion across the Bay Area.