Libby Schaaf

Mayor, City Council President Call for Donations After Recreation Center Destroyed

Two Oakland leaders have called for donations to the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation after a two-alarm fire destroyed the Mosswood Recreation Center on Saturday.

Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Council president Lynette Gibson McElhaney released statements on Saturday encouraging residents to donate online.

The foundation is a nonprofit that funds the City of Oakland's offices of Parks and Recreation and Public Works.

When firefighters arrived at Mosswood Park at around 5:30 a.m., they found the recreation center fully involved in flames.

Several nearby homes were threatened, fire officials said.

Firefighters extinguished the flames within about an hour, leaving the 151-year-old J. Mora Moss House unharmed.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, Oakland fire Chief Zoraida Diaz said. The fire's cause is under investigation.

"I am working closely with city administration as staff works to secure the site with fencing, monitor demolition and oversee insurance compensation," McElhaney said in a statement.

"We will reach out to the community to get input on how to design a new, state-of-the-art building that will meet the needs of the residents," McElhaney said.

The Mosswood Recreation Center, located at 3612 Webster St., hosted after-school programs and a summer camp. It featured a kitchen for cooking classes, a computer lab and a dance studio.

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