The Oakland Zoo was evacuated 30 minutes prior to closing Saturday after a two-alarm vegetation fire broke out near the 9800 block of Stanley Avenue. It grew to five acres, leaping over Interstate Highway 580 toward the western edge of the zoo, the Oakland Fire Department said on social media.
The agency responded to the blaze just after 5 p.m. and said the fire was “largely extinguished” by 5:45 p.m. “Expect traffic delays,” the department said at the time. Lanes and on-ramps were closed for about two hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Zoo officials told KTVU they contacted the fire department “for the safety of the animals and staff” and that guests were evacuated out of an abundance of caution. No injuries were reported.
The news comes after the Oakland Fire Department said it received 237 total calls on Saturday, 27 of which were fire-related. On the Fourth of July, they responded to 64 fire-related calls, “4-5 times more than our daily average” for such responses, the department said…