Firefighters work Friday to stop a fire that damaged multiple structures in Oakland.
The Keller Fire in the Caballo Hills area of East Oakland had burned 15 acres and is 50% contained as of 11 a.m. on Saturday, according to Cal Fire.
Some evacuations were lifted but other residents east of Interstate Highway 580 remain under evacuation orders on Saturday.
A Red Flag warning remains in effect until 5 p.m. Saturday.
Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington said about 200 firefighters from several Bay Area fire departments were called to back up the Oakland Fire Department after the fire broke out at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday off Interstate Highway 580 and Keller Avenue. Cal Fire assisted with air support.
"Without them, we would be having a very different conversation," Covington said at a press briefing on Saturday morning.
Covington said crews would remain on scene throughout the day to extinguish the remaining fire and monitor hot spots and ensure increasing winds did not reignite the flames, which were still burning in some vegetation and tree stumps.
"The elevated temperatures and the heavy winds is what we'll be watching for," Covington said.
Evacuation orders are still in effect on Saturday as of 11 a.m. for residents in zones OKL-E176, OKL-E177 and OKL-E203. Real time evacuation maps can be viewed at tinyurl.com/8932m4cj.
Covington said the fire department is working to get residents back in their homes by the end of the day, but did not want to send people back in the face of increasing winds, only to have to order them to leave again.
Wind speeds are forecast to be between 8-11 mph on Saturday, with gusts up to 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The wind, combined with dry conditions, contributed to the Red Flag Warning, which is issued when fire conditions are dangerous.
The University of California, Berkeley said it will be taking precautions related to the Red Flag Warning at its football game on Saturday, including suspending live cannon fire and pyrotechnics. Outdoor barbeques will be banned on campus and other food service will be modified with fire safety in mind, according to the University.
Two homes were damaged and about a dozen were threatened at the height of the fire. No injuries were reported.
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(1) comment
Great job, firefighters!
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