Flames of Fury: Fire Claims 4 Lives at Oakland’s Webster House

February 22, 1930, will be etched in the memories of Oakland residents for years to come as the tragic day a fire ravaged the notorious Webster House, a dilapidated lodging house on the city’s coast. The blaze, which is believed to be the work of a maniacal arsonist, swept through the three-story building, claiming the lives of four people and injuring seven others. Eyewitnesses describe the scene as akin to a furnace, with flames engulfing the first floor within minutes of the disaster unfolding.