Frightening moments were seen in the Oakland Hills Friday afternoon as a fire raced up steep terrain destroying one home and threatening others.
Oakland Fire said another home suffered some damage but it could’ve been much worse.
For many of the residents in the Oakland Hills seeing the fire remind them of the devastating firestorm that burned much of the area 33 years ago.
Rosie and her daughter were among the more than 200 people ordered to evacuate Friday night.
“I just saw a bunch of flames in the hills and I kept seeing like smoke coming and I got really scared,” Victoria said.
“We were crying,” Rosie added. “Scared because it’s been close before but never this close.”
The Oakland Fire Department had help from nearby agencies and Cal Fire to try to get the fire out as quickly as possible. Two helicopters hovered above dropping water and two fixed-wing planes spread fire retardant on the hillside. Oakland Battalion Chief Frank Tijiboy shed some light on the origin of the fire.