Oakland Fire Spreads to Nearby Homes Amid Dry, Windy Conditions

Firefighters have stopped forward progress on a five-alarm fire that began Friday afternoon off Interstate 580 in the Oakland hills and spread into nearby homes amid strong, dry winds.

The fire has burned thirteen acres and damaged less than ten structures, but no injuries have been reported, according to Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington.

Residents were told to evacuate from their homes on Campus Drive and Crystal Ridge Court in the Caballo Hills neighborhood.

“It was more of an evacuation caution, because of the eucalyptus grove, because of the wind blowing, because of the red flag day, the fire was fast moving. And before we could get in front of it, we had to make evacuations,” Covington said.

Cars jammed up on I-580 near Keller Avenue, with a huge plume of thick, dark brown smoke visible billowing from around the neighborhoods.

Westbound traffic on I-580 was closed at Keller Avenue but is now open again, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Airplanes and helicopters buzzed low over eucalyptus and other trees as they dropped water and retardant on the fire.

Merritt College has closed its campus and canceled in-person classes until further notice.

Video posted online by the department showed firefighters dousing a smoldering home at Mountain Boulevard and Maynard Avenue as smoke rises from the hillside behind it.

More than 100 firefighters joined from throughout the region, including Marin, Berkeley and San Francisco.

It’s one of numerous fires to touch off this afternoon amid dry and windy conditions that have spurred red flag warnings across California.

Firefighters are also battling the Hay Fire in Solano County, a grass fire that quickly spread to at least 890 acres, according to Cal Fire.

With windy conditions expected to last through the night, the City of Berkeley is recommending that some residents of the hills stay on heightened alert and consider leaving, especially if they may have trouble evacuating quickly.

PG&E had shut off power to thousands of customers to avoid having downed trees or limbs fall on power lines and ignite a fire that would spread rapidly in the windy conditions.

The cause of Friday’s fires was not immediately clear.

This is a developing story; it will be updated.