SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A fast-moving fire fed by strong winds burned two homes Friday and damaged several others in a hillside neighborhood in the city of Oakland, where hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate before more than 100 firefighters stopped the progress of the flames, authorities said.
Some evacuation orders remained in place Friday night, but traffic was moving again on part of a busy interstate that had been closed. There were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries.
An estimated 500 people were ordered to evacuate and westbound lanes of I-580 closed after Fire Chief Damon Covington said calls came in about 1:30 p.m. reporting a fire in front of a home in the Oakland hills.
Crews arrived as the inferno quickly grew with winds ranging from calm breezes to 40 mph (64 kph) gusts during red flag conditions.
“Wind was whipping,” Covington said.
Authorities issued red flag warnings for fire danger until Saturday across a large swath of the state, from the central coast through the Bay Area and into northern Shasta County, not far from the Oregon border.