Oakland Hills Fire: I-580 Reopens, Forward Travel Stopped

OAKLAND, Calif. – Firefighters have stopped the progression of a five-alarm fire near the freeway in Oakland at I-580 and Keller Avenue.

According to the Oakland Fire Department, two buildings, both residences, were damaged by the fire near Mountain Boulevard and Maynard Avenue. Up to 120 firefighters are deployed along with Cal Fire and the California Office of Emergency Services.

Although Oakland's fire chief says no buildings are now in immediate danger, at least 500 residents are being evacuated as a precautionary measure. The evacuations include the following areas on Keller Avenue near I-580: OKL-E176, OKL-E177, OKL-E178, OKL-E179, OKL-E203, OKL-E204. The full evacuation map can be found here.

The Basement Fire has burned 15 acres and is 35% contained. The first report was made around 1:30 p.m

Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington told KTVU he hoped the fire would be contained by 5 p.m., but that estimate did not happen. He said it was a wind-driven fire and he feared eucalyptus trees in the area would fuel the fire if the wind changed.

“When we arrived on scene, it had jumped from the front of a house to a eucalyptus grove behind the house,” Covington said. “We immediately triggered a 2nd, 3rd and 4th alarm. We have resources on site from throughout the Bay Area, including air resources from Cal Fire. We're in pretty good shape. We still have a lot to do.”

The chief said no injuries have been reported so far. The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified.

The chief said firefighters needed to survey several neighborhoods to ensure residents could safely repopulate their homes.

I-580 westbound fully reopened around 4 p.m. The highway was closed in the early afternoon and partially reopened as the situation improved.

Mayor Sheng Thao, who was at the scene of the fire, was informed of the situation. She thanked the relief workers and shared the Genasys evacuation program, which she had already posted on social media. She also said residents should sign up for Alameda County alerts to receive updates.

“Please have a plan. When it comes to fire danger days, we must always have a Plan A and a Plan B. This is really serious. This is a constant danger. All year round we see “The time frame for wildfires within a year is actually longer now. “We are at the end of October and you see that there is a fire in the city of Oakland,” said.

The mayor reminded residents to create defensible areas on their properties to protect them in the event of a forest fire. She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross were activated.

The fire initially had two alarms, but as it spread it was intensified. Just before 4 p.m., the initial dark smoke had turned white, which was a good sign that firefighters were getting water on the fire.

Cynthia Williams, a resident of a nearby apartment complex, was at work when she heard about the fire. She said she rushed home to get her son's ashes and photos as he had recently died. She said she had never experienced a forest fire like this before.

Delane Sims' family home was damaged in the fire. She said she has lived in the house since 1995. The fire blew out the front window of her house.

“I think I'm still in shock, but most of all I'm incredibly grateful to God that my husband's life was spared. My husband called me and said, 'Our house is on fire.' He heard an explosion so powerful it blew out our front window, leaving him only able to leave the house with the clothes on his back. “I know what would have happened. So I’m incredibly grateful that my husband got out of there,” Sims said.

She said it appeared something happened with the fire on the highway before it jumped straight onto the road toward her home. The highway runs right in front of her front yard, behind a fence and slightly downhill.

Sims is an Oakland native who remembers the Oakland Hills firestorm of 1991. Friday's fire burned one day before Oct. 19, 1991, the anniversary of the Oakland Hills fire that destroyed nearly 3,000 homes and killed 25 people .

“I thought this was going to happen today because these treetops, these eucalyptus trees, were burning. When I arrived we could see the flames. I just came from work. I'm just grateful that other houses weren't affected.”

Sims said Councilor Treva Reid was on the highway and saw a small brush fire and immediately called for help. Sims said she was grateful for the council member's quick action. The council member said she had just pulled off the motorway at an exit when she saw the bushfire. She said she and another driver stopped. “I immediately called the fire department. Within a minute the bushfire ignited in the trees. “I never imagined that less than an hour later an entire hill would be affected,” Reid said.

Sims was only able to take one look inside her home and saw water damage. The roof collapsed, but she said nothing compares to her husband's safety.

Some neighbors grabbed garden hoses to hose down their yards and hotspots.

“I got home around 12:30 or 1 p.m. My husband and I sat down to eat lunch and realized there was a fire,” said Kim Agnew, a resident who had to be evacuated. “And so I ran out the door and started ringing doorbells. Basically, we started by telling all the elders to get out of the house, get a mask and start watering the roof. So the whole neighborhood was out here with hoses until we got there.”

The San Francisco Fire Department participated in the mutual aid effort. They sent five fire engines and a battalion chief.

This fire comes as a warning warning is in effect for much of the Bay Area.

The red flag warning went into effect at 11 p.m. Thursday and will remain in effect until Saturday evening.

PG&E has shut off power in certain parts of the Bay Area due to critical fire weather.

This is a developing story. Check back for details. The Associated Press contributed to this report.