SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hundreds of Northern California residents have been ordered to evacuate from their homes in an Oakland neighborhood as a fast-moving fire grew along a hillside Friday afternoon, a fire official said.
Friday’s fire comes as forecasters have issued red flag warnings for fire danger until Saturday across a large swath of the state. It was not immediately clear what caused the Oakland blaze.
Oakland Fire Department spokesperson Michael Hunt said he did not have an exact figure of the evacuees but estimated that hundreds of residents had been told to leave the area.
The blaze grew to 10 acres (4 hectares) on Friday afternoon and more than 80 firefighters were working to control the flames.
No injuries were immediately reported. Crews were called to the area around 1:30 p.m. for a vegetation fire. In less than 30 minutes, the blaze had grown, requiring more firefighters to race to the scene. By 2:30 p.m., more than 80 firefighters were working to control the blaze alongside state crews, the Oakland Fire Department said.