Devastation in Los Angeles casts shadow over Oakland fire station closures

The budget cuts that temporarily closed two Oakland Fire Department stations until the summer — with four more likely to browned out next month — had already led both the fire chief and union to warn of dangers posed by reduced service.

On Friday, after a week of devastation and tragedy down south in what has become one of California’s worst-ever fire disasters, the upcoming cuts were weighing especially heavily on the city’s firefighters — and the rest of Oakland.

“It’s heartbreaking ...