Fire in California’s Oakland neighbourhoods prompts evacuations under gusty conditions

OAKLAND – A brush fire erupted in Oakland, California, on Oct 18, forcing the evacuation of hillside neighbourhoods and the brief closure of a major highway as high winds threatened to spread the blaze.

The five-alarm fire, which US officials have named the Keller fire, had burned 6.07ha and damaged fewer than 10 homes in an Oakland Hills area, the Oakland Fire Department said.

It came one day before the 33rd anniversary of the 1991 Tunnel fire, which killed 25 people and destroyed 3,000 homes several kilometres north of the current blaze.

More than two hours after the fire was first reported, officials began to express confidence that they were getting a handle on the situation.

There were no reports of injuries, and Oakland Fire Department officials said that the forward progress of the wind-driven fire had been stopped.

Images shared by fire officials showed aircraft flying through billowing smoke, dousing the hillside below as a fire engine fixed its hose on a home.

“If air resources didn’t get here as quickly as they did, we might have a different report right now,” Oakland fire chief Damon Covington said at a news conference.

The area has some of the East Bay’s most desirable homes, peering over the San Francisco Bay with views of city skylines.

But the 1991 blaze also looms in the memories of long-time residents as a deadly threat, especially in an era of climate change that has included some of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

At least 80 firefighters were dispatched to the area on Oct 18 after the call came in around 1.30pm, and officials ordered evacuations of hundreds of homes.

For a short period, the fire prompted officials to stop traffic on Interstate 580 less than 800m west of the blaze.

The US National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for much of the Bay Area this week as forecasters predicted a combination of conditions that made fires more likely. Strong wind gusts, low humidity and dry fuel had fire officials across the region on high alert.

The fire started just outside a home, and the cause was still under investigation. Under high-risk conditions like those on Oct 18, Mr Covington said, “something as small as a cigarette” would be capable of sparking a blaze.

As the windy conditions grew worse, the utility company Pacific Gas & Electric began pre-emptively cutting off power to some customers beginning on the evening of Oct 17. On the afternoon of Oct 18, more than 35,000 customers in the state were without power, according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks utility data.

Strong winds were expected in the East Bay until at least 11pm on Oct 18, and until the morning of Oct 19 in other parts of northern California. Winds blowing from offshore could reach up to 56.3kmh until the evening, potentially making it more difficult for firefighters to stop the blaze.

The weather service also warned that “critical fire conditions” were possible in southern California until Oct 19, with the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges expected to see wind gusts of up to 80.5kmh.

October has become ever more dangerous in California as heatwaves continue deeper into the autumn season and landscapes become ever more parched months after the last major rainfall. NYTIMES