Extreme fire conditions prompt city to issue evacuation warning throughout night | Environment

Update 10/19/24 10:57 a.m.: This article has been updated to include new information from the Berkeley Fire Department.

The City of Berkeley has downgraded last night's extreme fire weather warning back to a red flag warning.

According to an AC Alert from the Berkeley Fire Department, the evacuation advisory from fire zones 2 and 3 has ended.

The zones include the Clark Kerr Campus, the Berkeley Hills, North Berkeley and large portions east of Claremont Avenue.

Extreme fire weather warnings are Berkeley-specific and occur when warning signals of high winds and very low humidity lead to riskier wildfire conditions in Berkeley.

Last night, the City of Berkeley declared extreme fire weather conditions and recommended an evacuation for residents in Zones 2 and 3 due to “extreme fire weather conditions” from 8:00 p.m. on October 18th to 7:00 a.m. on October 19th.

The alert, sent out at 3:21 p.m. today, followed a Bay Area-wide advisory from the National Weather Service earlier this week for strong winds with speeds up to 25 mph and gusts up to 30 mph. and low humidity throughout the region.

According to a Campus Alert Fire Danger Notice, these conditions allow fires to “ignite easily and spread quickly, posing a particular risk to those in Berkeley Hills.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.