A warehouse fire destroyed 35 cars owned by Reggie Jackson, and the retired baseball slugger and classic auto collector says he's "hurting."
Jackson, who lives in nearby Oakland, was visibly upset Thursday when he went to the warehouse, which was destroyed by fire Wednesday night.He refused to be interviewed at his Berkeley auto dealership, saying he was "down" and "hurting" about his loss.
Thirty-five cars owned by Jackson were lost, including Corvettes, Porsches, Mustangs and other "high-value collector cars," said fire department Capt. Ron Littley.
The fire apparently started in a furniture store and spread to the warehouse in the same cinderblock building, officials said. The blaze raged out of control in the 33,000-square-foot warehouse in an industrial area for more than an hour.
"Everything that was in there was gone," said fire Lt. David Allen. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
Jackson began his car collection in 1971 when he bought a 1940 Chevrolet for $300 and a color television. By last October, the collection had grown to 97 vehicles. The rest of his collection was stored elsewhere.
Jackson retired last fall from the Oakland Athletics after a stellar career that also included stints with the New York Yankees, California Angels and Baltimore Orioles.