Fire damages homes in California’s Oakland Hills neighborhood

OAKLAND, Calif. – A pop-up fire outside of Oakland caused hundreds of people to be evacuated on Friday afternoon as multiple agencies worked to control the blaze. 

As of Friday evening, the Oakland Fire Department said it believed its crews had stopped the forward progress of the Keller Fire, which destroyed about 13-15 acres and damaged ten structures.

Firefighters said they believe the fire started in the rear of one of the properties before quickly spreading, triggering dozens of crews to respond by both air and land to try to contain the blaze. 

Photos and videos taken in one of the impacted neighborhoods showed smoke rising from at least one home as firefighters worked to attack hotspots. 

None of the residents were reported injured, and the fire chief praised the response of neighboring jurisdictions.

During the height of the fire activity, parts of Interstate 580 were shut down to motorists, but the thoroughfare has since reopened.

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The blaze erupted nearly 33 years to the day that a firestorm destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in 1991. 

On Oct. 19, a grass fire quickly grew out of control, killing at least 25 people and injuring many more in the hills north of Oakland. 

At the time, damages were estimated to be around $1.5 billion, making the inferno one of this nation's most costly fires.

After-action reports completed in the wake of the fire determined that a lack of accessible water played a significant role in the failure of fire suppression efforts.

Conditions were less favorable for fires on Friday compared to more than three decades ago, yet large areas of the state still met the criteria for fire weather alerts.

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According to the FOX Forecast Center, the combination of northerly to easterly winds and low relative humidity values caused local National Weather Service offices to issue Red Flag Warnings for millions of Californians. 

The phenomenon known as diablo winds was expected to reach 45-55 mph, with locally higher gusts. 

PG&E, the Golden State’s largest utility provider, preemptively shut off power to thousands of customers this week to help reduce the threat of wildfires. 

The power outages are part of the company's Public Safety Power Shutoff program (PSPS), which is designed to reduce the risk of electrical equipment starting fires. 

Farther south, the phenomenon known as "Santa Ana winds" was also expected to impact parts of Southern California.

In addition to the Keller Fire, CAL FIRE reported responding to sizable blazes in both Solano and Riverside counties, but neither had triggered widespread evacuations.