RV Fire Shuts Down BART's Transbay Tube for Hours

Incident raises ongoing concerns about fire risks near homeless encampments along transit corridors.

Feb. 24, 2026 at 6:48am

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An RV fire near the West Oakland BART station on Sunday afternoon damaged critical communication cables, forcing the shutdown of the Transbay Tube for over 12 hours and causing major delays for passengers. BART officials said they had been in communication with the City of Oakland about the encampment in the area, but the cleanup did not happen in time to prevent the incident.

Why it matters

The shutdown of the Transbay Tube, a critical transit link between Oakland and San Francisco, highlights the ongoing challenges BART faces with fires and damage caused by homeless encampments along its tracks and stations. This incident follows a similar event last week near Hayward, raising broader concerns about the fire risks posed by encampments and BART's ability to coordinate with local authorities to address these issues in a timely manner.

The details

The RV fire broke out near the Fifth and Filbert streets, damaging radio communication cables essential for BART's operations through the underwater Transbay Tube. BART was unable to run trains through the tunnel without the radios working, leading to crowded bus bridges and hours-long delays for passengers. Crews completed repairs overnight, and service resumed before the first trains ran on Monday morning.

  • The RV fire occurred on Sunday afternoon.
  • BART service through the Transbay Tube was shut down for over 12 hours.
  • Crews completed repairs overnight, and service resumed before the first trains ran on Monday morning.

The players

Alicia Trost

BART's chief communications officer.

Michael Hunt

A representative from the Oakland Fire Department, which is part of the city's Encampment Management Team.

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What they’re saying

“We can't operate trains through the Transbay Tube without the radios working.”

— Alicia Trost, BART's chief communications officer

“I think there are certain corridors of the city that experience it in disproportionate numbers. Areas along East 12th and San Leandro Boulevard were an area that saw a lot more of these types of fires over the last five years. There's been a lot of work to address that.”

— Michael Hunt, Representative from the Oakland Fire Department

What’s next

BART said it is looking at whether it can harden equipment during future upgrades to prevent similar fire-related shutdowns.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges BART faces in addressing the fire risks posed by homeless encampments along its transit corridors, and the need for better coordination between the transit agency and local authorities to proactively address these issues before they lead to major service disruptions.