Fire Destroys Cars in Reggie Jackson’s Collection; Damage Put at $4 Million

Reggie Jackson stood visibly shaken amid the burned-out skeletons of between “30 to 35” of his favorite classic cars Thursday, surveying the damage caused by an explosion and general-alarm fire that swept through two warehouses.

The blaze broke out about 9 p.m. Wednesday night in a Berkeley Design furniture warehouse next to one storing part of Jackson’s extensive classic car collection. Firefighters fought the blaze, which illuminated the Berkeley skyline, for two hours, but could not save the former baseball star’s collection.

“The firemen told me when they got here that it was all over,” said Jackson, a veteran of 21 seasons with the Kansas City-Oakland A’s, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and New York Yankees.

Damage was estimated at $800,000 to the buildings and $3.2 million to the cars and other property. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the blaze was not immediately determined, officials said.

Jackson said he feared that the fire may have been an attack aimed at him personally.

Jackson began collecting cars just about the time he broke into the majors in 1967. At the time of the fire, the former slugger’s collection numbered 130 automobiles and were stored in three separate warehouses.