Evacuation orders in place for 5-alarm fire in Oakland Hills

OAKLAND, Calif. ( KRON ) — A five-alarm fire is burning in an Oakland Hills neighborhood near Interstate 580 Friday afternoon, according to the Oakland Fire Department. Flames spread over 15 acres, burned multiple homes, and set evacuation orders in place. Over 200 firefighters are battling the blaze.

All westbound I-580 lanes east of Keller Avenue were closed and reopened at 3:50 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. The westbound I-580 offramp to Keller Avenue and the Mountain Boulevard onramp to westbound I-580 are closed, CHP said.

The fire, according to OFD, is burning near Mountain Boulevard and Maynard Avenue. Evacuation orders are in place for Campus Drive and Crystal Ridge Court, OFD says.

Here are the specific zones with evacuation orders , according to Cal Fire:

• OKL-E203: Caballo Hills – Keller Ave, Mountain Blvd.
• OKL-E204: Sequoyah – Keller Ave, Mountain Blvd.
• OKL-E176: Ridgemont / Caballo Hills – Campus Dr, Stoneridge Ct, Crystal Ridge Ct.
• OKL-E177: Sequoyah – Keller Ave, Campus Dr, Canyon Oaks Dr.

Here are the specific zones with evacuation warnings , according to Cal Fire:

• OKL-E179: Ridgemont/Caballo Hills/Monte Vista Villas – Leona Dr, Old Quarry Loop
• OKL-E178: Ridgemont/Caballo Hills – Campus Dr, Ridgemont Dr.

According to Cal Fire, the fire is moving north and northwest. As of 3:45 p.m., the fire’s forward progress was stopped, firefighters said. “While forward progress has stopped, the fire is not contained, and conditions are extremely favorable for wildfires to start and spread,” the Red Cross said.

Temporary evacuation points have also been set at the following locations:

• Bushrod Recreation Center (Capacity- 153) : 560 59th St, Oakland, CA 94609
• East Oakland Sports Center (Capacity- 48 ): 9161 Edes Ave, Oakland, CA 94603
• Ira Jinkins Recreation Center (Capacity – 132 ): 9175 Edes Ave, Oakland, CA 94603
• La Escuelita Elementary School (Capacity- 147 ): 1050 2nd Ave, Oakland, CA 94606

As of 7:30 p.m., the fire is at 35% containment, according to Cal Fire.

OFD spokesperson Michael Hunt said he did not have an exact figure of the evacuees but estimated that hundreds of residents had been told to leave the area.

Approximately two homes were damaged by the blaze, with “dozens of homes on Maynard, Sanford, Greenridge, Canyon Oaks” being threatened, according to OFD. No injuries were reported, firefighters said.

The fire has also caused an outage to affected and nearby areas due to a downed power pole, according to PG&E. Over 800 customers are without power as of 7 p.m. PG&E said inspections and repairs will be delayed “until crews can get access” to the downed pole.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District said it is issuing an air quality advisory on Friday due to “wildfire smoke from fires” around the Bay Area. “Conditions can change rapidly, and the amount and location of smoke at ground level is hard to predict,” the air district said.

OFD said Cal Fire air support and crews from the San Francisco Fire Department and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services arrived to help with the blaze. The Red Cross said volunteers were also on the scene, aiding with taming the fire.

OFD credits the fire to initially being sparked in a median on I-580. Three westbound I-580 lanes east of Keller Avenue were closed for several hours. Roads have since reopened, but I-580 drivers are advised to expect delays.

“To everyone nearby in Oakland: Please follow all evacuation orders, follow all safety guidelines, and stay safe,” Rep. Barbara Lee said.

OFD said evacuation orders remain in place and that firefighters will remain at the scene until Saturday night. Firefighters are dubbing this fire the Keller Fire.

This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for more updates.

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