Oakland Hills fire at 50% containment; weather continues to be safety concern
The Oakland Fire Department Chief on Saturday said the fire in the Oakland Hills was 50% contained.
Chief Damon Covington said crews would be in the area throughout the day, and they will be removing some eucalyptus trees for safety reasons.
Another safety concern will be the weather and wind conditions again. According to the National Weather Service, the Bay Area will see offshore winds reach speeds of up to 35 mph. And in high terrain and ridgetops, there could be isolated gusts of up to 65 mph.
Due to the conditions, Oakland remains under a red flag warning until 5 p.m.
According to Covington, there are several hot spots and stumps that remain on fire. He said crews would be doing a lot of manual work to ensure the fire is completely extinguished.
The fire began on Friday around 1:30 p.m. Winds and temperatures contributed to the blaze, drawing in around 200 firefighters to fight the fire.
Evacuations were ordered as the fire threatened homes. A map of the evacuation zones can be seen here.
Some of the evacuations were lifted, Covington said, but Campus Drive at the top of the ridge remains evacuated.
Covington said a pre-assembled strike team that was in the county was a big help in avoiding a disastrous fire like in 1991.
