A fire broke out in the storage area of The Emeryville Home Depot on Saturday evening about 7 p.m.. Black plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the area for miles.

The segment of West MacArthur Boulevard behind the store was closed to traffic while Firefighters from Alameda County and Oakland Fire Departments worked to contain the blaze. The store is bisected by the Oakland/Emeryville border.

Amateur video of the blaze was captured by several witnesses including @Vastidy.

“The fire was in the back storage area of Home Depot where home improvement supplies are stored on pallets,” according to the the Alameda County Fire Department Twitter handle. “The fire was contained to the area of origin and is under investigation. No reports of injuries.”

The area of origin was determined to be ground level near the fence line of the exterior storage area according to the ACFD fire investigator.

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KPIX 5 is reporting that the fire caused an estimated $160,000 in damages. Fifty-five pallets of merchandise were seriously damaged or destroyed according to Oakland Battalion Chief Sean Laffan.

KPIX is also reporting that the source of ignition was a nearby homeless encampment although this was not confirmed by the ACFD. “The area of origin cannot be verified by our agency,” the ACFD confirmed. “The cause of the fire at Home Depot yesterday evening is undetermined.”

We will update this story if any new information becomes available.

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