SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A fast-moving fire driven by strong winds destroyed two homes in a hillside area and damaged several others Friday. in Auckland cityHundreds of people were ordered to evacuate before more than 100 firefighters were able to stem the fire’s progress, authorities said.
Some evacuation orders remained in place Friday night, but some busy interstates that had been closed were reopened to traffic. There were no immediate reports of death or serious injury.
Fire Chief Damon Covington said calls came in about a fire in front of a home in the Oakland Hills around 1:30 p.m., and an estimated 500 people were ordered to evacuate and the interstate The westbound lanes of Route 580 were closed.
In red flag conditions, crews arrived amid rapidly escalating hellish conditions, ranging from a gentle breeze to wind gusts of 64 km/h.
“The wind was blowing,” Covington said.
Officials issued a red flag warning through Saturday for a wide swath of the state’s central coast, through the Bay Area and into northern Shasta County, near the Oregon border, due to fire danger.
California power companies shut off power in 19 counties in the northern and central parts of the state in a massive power outage. Diablo style Autumn is notorious for its hot, dry, gusty winds, which has increased the risk of wildfires.
Fire department spokesman Michael Hunt said one of the Oakland homes was heavily damaged and a second home sustained minor fire damage. Fewer than 10 other homes sustained smoke and water damage. Initial reports contradicted the number of structures affected.
The fire broke out near Highway 580, which connects the San Francisco Bay Area with central California, causing traffic jams as people tried to leave the area and sending a plume of smoke across the city of 440,000 people.
Covington said the flames charred a eucalyptus tree and caused the flames to spread to both sides of the road. Within three hours, the area had grown to 13 acres. Many firefighters continued to fight, but by about 4 p.m., crews were able to stop the advance.
“Less than 10 homes were damaged, but hundreds of homes and structures were threatened,” the chief said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The Oakland Hills fire occurred the day before Memorial Day, October 19th. 1991 fire Approximately 3,000 homes were destroyed and 25 people were killed.
Smoke was visible from two to three miles (3 to 5 kilometers) away on Friday. Fire trucks and ambulances struggled to weave through traffic in the westbound lanes of the freeway, driving toward the blaze with sirens blaring to keep vehicles out of the way. Frustrated by the traffic, some drivers exited the roadway through the on-ramp, while others drove on the shoulder of the highway. Heavy traffic jams continued on side streets as well.
Red flag warnings were also issued in parts of Southern California where another wildfire was burning toward homes in the Roaring Heights area of Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Firefighters had stopped the fire in the Hacienda Heights hills by Friday night. Firefighters were called to the scene around 3 p.m. after receiving a report of a five-acre (2-hectare) fire threatening nearby homes, police said. No evacuation orders have been issued.
Approximately 16,000 customers were without power Friday when Pacific Gas and Electric went out.
When Diablo winds blow, the air is so dry that relative humidity drops, making plants dry and flammable. The name “Diablo” means “devil” in Spanish and was informally given to the hot winds that blow inland toward the coast near the San Francisco area as high pressure builds to the west.
Diablo winds can produce sustained winds up to 35 mph (56 kph) in many areas, with gusts of more than 65 mph (104 kph) along mountain peaks, according to the National Weather Service. It is expected that there will be gender. Strong winds are expected to continue through part of the weekend.
In total, about 20,000 customers could experience temporary power outages over the next few days, PG&E said in a statement Friday.
The National Weather Service predicts dry, warm, gusty northeasterly winds from the interior of Southern California into Southern California for the valleys and mountains of Los Angeles County, parts of the Inland Empire, and the San Bernardino Mountains from the Santa Anas. A red flag warning was issued. Coastal and Offshore Winds move in the opposite direction to the normal onshore currents that bring moist air from the Pacific Ocean into the region.
Winds near Los Angeles are not as strong as in the north, with gusts of 25 to 40 mph (40 to 64 kph) possible in mountains and foothills, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles regional office. It is said that there is.
The strongest winds were recorded in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, with gusts of 45 to 55 mph (72 to 88 kph) on Friday, with some gusts up to 60 mph (96 kph). It is said that
Meanwhile, light snow fell on some mountain peaks around Lake Tahoe Friday night, according to the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada. Temperatures near freezing are expected to return Friday night into Saturday.
Wind sensors on two mountains west of Lake Tahoe recorded winds of 75 mph and 104 mph (120 kph and 167 kph) on Friday, the National Weather Service said, with strong winds continuing overnight and weakening by Saturday morning. announced that it is expected.
The agency also issued the first ice warning of the season from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday along the eastern Sierra front, from south of Carson City through Reno to California’s Lassen, Sierra and Plumas counties. Temperatures may drop to record lows. 20 seconds Fahrenheit (about -5 degrees Celsius).
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Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed.
