Paying tribute to the victims of the Oakland warehouse fire that killed at least nine people, Bay Area-based sports teams are jumping in to console and help strengthen the city of Oakland.
Working in partnership, the Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders will match and donate relief funds up to $30,000. The fundraising campaign had raised more than $30,000 as of Saturday evening, and that number continues to swell.
Next door at Oracle Arena, Golden State Warriors players and coaches have pledged $75,000 to ongoing relief efforts. The money is in addition to $50,000 the Warriors organization donated earlier in the week.
Head coach Steve Kerr recently offered his sympathy while speaking to the media before a home game against the Phoenix Suns.
"I want to start out today by offering our condolences to the victims of the Oakland fire," Kerr said before even being answered a question during the press conference. "Just a devastating tragedy right here in the East Bay. It's hard to comprehend. As an organization, we just want to send out our thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families, their friends and people that were injured. I know it can't cure the pain, but we're thinking of you and the whole organization, the team and everybody at Oracle (Arena) tonight when we have a moment of silence. We're all with you out there and we're all devastated."
The Bay Area's only professional basketball franchise also encouraged fans to donate to those impacted by the deadly blaze. On Saturday, the Warriors announced that donations gathered during the team's raffle that night will benefit The Unity Council, an Oakland-based nonprofit organization that strives to lift up low-income neighborhoods. Those funds will specifically be used to back development programs in the Fruitvale neighborhood, which is where the three-alarm blaze ignited late Friday.
Across the Bay Bridge, the San Francisco Giants organization took to Twitter and voiced compassion for every party impacted by the fire. The baseball franchise announced that it will side with its rival during this time as well as encourage people to donate to the various relief efforts.
The San Francisco 49ers followed suit by issuing thoughts and prayers to the victims while using the #BayAreaUnite hashtag.
