Firefighters who are normally called to rescue people had to run for cover themselves in Oakland when bullets pierced Fire Station 18.
The gunfire erupted outside of the corner building at at 50th Avenue and Bancroft Way on Tuesday about 9 p.m.
Batalion Chief Emon Usher said his crew had just returned from a call when they heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire. He said it sounded like at least 50 rounds.
Luckily, none of the three firefighters in the station were hurt. But no doubt, their nerves were rattled.
Windows were broken Wednesday morning on two of the rollup doors in the front and the back. Bullets made their way in the back and out of the front of the station. They pierced a building across the street.
The gunfire is tied to a separate homicide. Authorities say that nearby, a man was shot likely in the same hail of bullets. The same firefighters actually called an ambulance to help. The man was taken to Highland Hospital where he died. The search is on for the gunman.
