Peet’s Coffee employee killed by collapsing roof in East Oakland identified
The man worked for the company for 17 years.
OAKLAND — A 17-year Peet’s Coffee worker who was killed after the roof of the company’s East Oakland warehouse collapsed on him was identified as Martin González, a 57-year-old Oakland man.
González, who was a distribution lead for the company, was working in the warehouse when a portion of the roof crashed onto him at around 3:20 a.m. on Friday. A woman who also worked at the warehouse was also injured in the incident, police said.
Fire officials said around 20 firefighters responded to the incident, and that the 30 by 30 foot area where the roof collapsed represents about 5% of the total roof area. González and the other employee were the only two people inside the warehouse during the collapse, authorities said.
Peet’s spokesperson Mary O’Connell said Friday that González was sitting in an office inside the warehouse when the roof collapsed.
According to O’Connell, González was well-liked and highly respected, and his colleagues were “highly shaken” by his sudden death.
“He was always upbeat and had a great sense of humor,” O’Connell said. “He had a joke for everyone and everyone warmed to him.”
Work shifts at the facility were canceled on Friday, and the company is now looking for a temporary facility, O’Connell said, adding that the company is “devastated” and “reeling” from the news.
Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the collapse and don’t know yet whether it was weather-related. They notified Cal/OSHA of the incident, and officials from the agency spent several hours on the scene investigating. Meanwhile, the building has been red-tagged, meaning it can’t be occupied for the time being.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report.
