Some Oakland Hills residents defied evacuation order to try and protect homes

Firefighters hoped to have all evacuation orders in the Oakland Hills lifted by Sunday evening.

They announced only evacuees who live on Campus Drive will be allowed to return home after 8 p.m. on Saturday evening. The other street closures and evacuation orders will remain in place.

Authorities worried the vegetation fire that broke out on Friday afternoon near Mountain Boulevard and Keller Avenue would flare back up.

"The firefight is still going. While the fire is contained, it's not extinguished," said Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington.

The flames on Friday afternoon damaged two homes and triggered evacuation orders that affected a few hundred homes, according to Covington.

With gusty winds still a factor, about 50 to 60 firefighters worked to prevent flare-ups near a grove of eucalyptus trees on a Mountain Boulevard hillside on Saturday.

Homeowner Nenita Tadeo defied the evacuation order to protect her home of almost 30 years.

"I'm afraid about the looters, yes, so I have to stay home. I'm afraid that someone will come and open my garage door," said Tadeo.

She and her daughter's boyfriend, Rolo Tanedo Jr., were home when the fire was bruning right up to their yard. They immediately jumped into action.

"I was actually watering my house, hosing down my house," said Tadeo.

Firefighters later arrived to put out the flames. She lost their side fence and back fence, but the fire damaged their neighbors' houses to the left and right. Those two homes were yellow-tagged by city inspectors.

The water also caused a sinkhole in front of Tadeo's home and damaged Tanedo Jr.'s car.

Nonetheless, they're glad all the neighbors are safe.

"Praise God, praise God. I really thank God," said Tadeo.

Oakland firefighters believe the fire started on the shoulder of westbound I-580 near Keller Avenue. They said strong winds quickly caused the fire to spread upward, toward nearby trees and homes.

Authorities went door to door to evacuate several hundred people from Mountain Boulevard up to Campus Drive.

"To fight, that was my instinct, was to fight," said homeowner Sherri Morton.

Morton and her husband had a front-row seat to the burning hillside. They refused to leave and also use their garden hose to spray water on their roof and neighbors' roofs.

"If the fire would take one of the houses across the street, we would definitely go. But in the interim, we would do what we could to protect our property and the property of our neighbors," said Morton.

Because of the Red Flag Warning on Friday, Cal OES had pre-positioned firefighting planes and helicopters in the county. Authorities said those resources helped them save many homes, including Tadeo's house.

"I'm really thankful to Oakland firefighters because they really saved my house," said Tadeo.

The fire chief said one firefighter sustained minor injuries on Friday.