Fast-moving brush fires damages at least 7 homes in Oakland neighborhood, fire official says

A fast-moving fire fed by strong winds damaged at least seven homes Friday in a hillside neighborhood in the city of Oakland where more than 500 people were ordered to evacuate, officials said.

A fast-moving fire fed by strong winds damaged at least seven homes Friday in a hillside neighborhood in the city of Oakland where more than 500 people were ordered to evacuate, officials said. No injuries were reported but Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said at least six homes were damaged and at least one was a total loss. Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington said that at about 1:30 p.m., calls came in 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 gusts during Friday’s red flag conditions. “Wind was whipping,” Covington said. The fire was near the 580 Freeway, which connects the San Francisco Bay Area to central California, causing traffic jams as people tried to leave the area and smoke wafted over the city of 440,000. The blaze charred through eucalyptus trees, which spread the fire as flames jumped across sides of the roadway, Covington said. Within three hours, it grew to 13 acres. By about 4 p.m. crews were able to stop it from advancing, though scores of firefighters continue battling the fire.