Berkeley Asphalt and Berkeley Ready Mix companies at 699 Virginia St. on Dec. 22, 2020. Photo: Pete Rosos
Northwest Berkeley residents who have been enduring periodic wafts of stinky, sulfurous fumes for the last several months might have relief on the horizon.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District received nearly 200 complaints about the sulfurous smell starting on Oct. 29, and on Dec. 8, filed a violation notice against LeHigh Hanson Berkeley Asphalt at 699 Virginia St, according to a document from the agency provided to Berkeleyside. In 2014, West Berkeley residents rallied at the facility to raise concerns over odors and noise, which they alleged had gotten much worse over the years.
Firefighters extinguish RV fire in West Berkeley
An RV that was parked in West Berkeley caught fire at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, according to Berkeley Fire Department dispatch scanner reviewed by Berkeleyside.
The fire was reported in the 2400 block of Sixth Street, and there was no one inside the vehicle at the time, according to the unconfirmed scanner audio. The blaze also brought down Comcast service lines in the area.
Witnesses reported that the RV was fully engulfed in flames. Several community members noticed the large plume of smoke in the area and asked Berkeleyside for details.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze shortly after it began, according to scanner audio, but emergency vehicles were still at the scene as of 5:30 p.m.