California Brush Fire Forces Evacuations in Oakland Hills

(Bloomberg) -- A brush fire that broke out Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area’s Oakland Hills burned several homes and prompted evacuations amid critical wildfire conditions. 

The Oakland Fire Department said it had stopped the forward progress of the blaze that had grown to 13 acres and burned at least four structures, according to a post on X. The fire broke out near the Oakland Zoo and forced the partial closure of a nearby freeway. 

Local news broadcasts showed aircraft dropping water and fire retardant on a hillside neighborhood of expensive homes. There were no reports of injuries. The incident comes almost 33 years after the devastating 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed 2,900 homes. 

A red flag warning was in effect for the area through Saturday evening due to gusty winds and dry vegetation, the National Weather Service said. The fire risk prompted utility PG&E Corp. to cut power to about 16,100 homes and businesses across Northern California to reduce the chances of electrical lines igniting blazes. 

(Updates with status of fire in second paragraph)

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