Fire in Oakland: Remembering 1991 and Reframing Our Relationship to the Land

Thirty-five years ago, on October 19, 1991, a devastating firestorm tore through the Oakland Hills, claiming 25 lives and injuring more than 150 people. The fire, which began as a small grass blaze, was fueled by drought conditions and fierce winds that carried embers across the hills overnight, igniting homes and landscapes in its path. It remains one of the most destructive fires in Oakland’s history.

Photographer Richard Misrach captured the aftermath in a powerful image taken at Hiller Drive and Charing Cross Road—a scene marked by loss, but also by the stark imprint of fire on the land and community. Today, that image is part of our collection and currently on view in our Gallery of California Art, where it invites reflection on the history of Oakland’s development and ecology.

The Oakland Hills firestorm unfolded during the region’s fifth consecutive year of drought. As flames spread rapidly through dry vegetation and densely built neighborhoods, the disaster exposed the profound risks of unmanaged landscapes and extreme weather conditions—issues that continue to shape California’s relationship with fire today.

But while fire is often remembered only for its destruction, it has long held a different meaning for Native communities across California.On view in OMCA’s Great Hall, Good Fire: Tending Native Lands offers an alternative perspective—one grounded in Indigenous knowledge, stewardship, and deep relationships to place. Developed in collaboration with Native fire practitioners, artists, and cultural leaders from Northern California, the exhibition explores how controlled burning, referred to as “good fire” or cultural burning, has been used for thousands of years to care for the land.

Through this lens, fire becomes not only a force of devastation, but also a vital tool for renewal. Cultural burns help maintain healthy ecosystems, support biodiversity, and sustain important cultural practices—from basket weaving to ceremony. These practices reflect generations of observation, skill, and respect for the natural world.

The exhibition also examines how colonial policies disrupted these traditions. The forced removal of Native communities from the land and suppression of good fire, imposed over generations, have contributed to the buildup of vegetation and the increasing severity of wildfires across the state. In this context, the story of the 1991 Oakland fire is not just a singular event, but part of a broader history of how fire has been misunderstood and mismanaged.

Together, Good Fire and the works in OMCA’s Gallery of California Art—including Misrach’s Oakland Fire series—offer a space to consider these intersecting histories. 

As California continues to face the realities of climate change and intensifying wildfires, reconsideration of our relationship with land grows ever more pressing. These perspectives prompt us to rethink our assumptions, listen to Indigenous knowledge, and imagine new ways of living with fire—ones rooted in care, balance, and responsibility.

We invite you to experience these works in person and reflect on the many stories fire holds—past, present, and future.