Evacuations have been organized for east Oakland residents after a brush fire broke out Friday afternoon and burned multiple homes.
A rapid-spreading brush fire started on Friday afternoon in the Oakland, California hills, destroying several homes until firefighters managed to contain it hours later.
The Oakland Fire Department reported the fire as occurring near Interstate Highway 580, Mountain Boulevard, and Keller Avenue. According to initial accounts, at least four buildings in the vicinity of Mountain Boulevard and Maynard Avenue were fully engulfed.
The fire was first noticed around 1:30 p.m. and by 1:50 p.m. it had escalated to three alarms. A fourth alarm was requested around 2:15 p.m. At that time, the winds in the region were recorded at approximately 11 mph, reaching gusts of up to 22 mph.
More than 80 firefighters and air support from Cal Fire and ground units were present at the scene. The fire reached a fifth alarm before its advance was stopped just before 4 p.m. after burning 13 acres. It was not clear how many structures had burned in total.
The Fire Department evacuated residents of the Caballo Hills neighborhood located north of Highway 580. Evacuations were being conducted on Campus Drive east of Stoneridge Court and all residences on Crystal Ridge Court. People living on Altura Place and Rifle Lane were also asked to leave their homes.
A map of the evacuation zones can be found here. An evacuation center was set up at Burckhalter Elementary School. Location Details: (3994 Burckhalter Avenue Oakland CA 94605 Contact # (510) 879-2105)
Around 2:20 p.m., a significant traffic alert was issued by the California Highway Patrol due to a fire near Highway 580, resulting in the closure of all lanes heading west. Firefighters were observed extinguishing a small fire near the side of the westbound lanes that may have been ignited by remaining embers from the larger fire.
At 3:30 p.m. one lane going west had been reopened; all lanes were open by 4 p.m.
The Bay Area experienced a Wind Advisory on Friday with anticipated gusts of 50-65 mph in elevated areas. A Red Flag Warning was issued by the National Weather Service for the majority of the Bay Area and Central Coast due to extremely dry conditions.
There was no immediate information available regarding the cause of the fire.
This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.
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