Watch Live: I-580 reopens, evacuations underway for Oakland Hills fire

OAKLAND, Calif. – Firefighters have stopped the progression of a five-alarm fire near the freeway in Oakland at I-580 and Keller Avenue.

According to the Oakland Fire Department, 10 buildings were damaged by the fire near Mountain Boulevard and Maynard Avenue. Up to 120 firefighters are deployed along with Cal Fire and the California Office of Emergency Services.

Although Oakland's fire chief says no buildings are in immediate danger at this time, at least 500 residents are being evacuated as a precautionary measure. The evacuations include the following areas on Keller Avenue near I-580: OKL-E176, OKL-E177, OKL-E178, OKL-E179, OKL-E203, OKL-E204. The full evacuation map can be found here.

The fire burned 13 hectares. The first report was made around 1:30 p.m

Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington told KTVU he hopes the fire will be contained by 5 p.m. He said it was a wind-driven fire and he was concerned that eucalyptus trees in the area could fuel the fire if the wind changed.

“When we arrived on scene it had jumped from the front of a house onto a eucalyptus grove behind the house. We immediately raised a second, third and fourth alarm. We have responders from across the Bay Area on scene,” including Cal Fire air resources. We still have a lot to do.

The chief said no injuries have been reported so far. The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified.

The chief said firefighters needed to survey several neighborhoods to ensure residents could safely repopulate their homes.

I-580 westbound fully reopened around 4 p.m. The highway was closed in the early afternoon and partially reopened as the situation improved.

Mayor Sheng Thao, who was at the scene of the fire, was informed of the situation. She thanked the relief workers and shared the Genasys evacuation program, which she had already posted on social media. She also said residents should sign up for Alameda County alerts to receive updates.

“Please have a plan. When it comes to fire danger days, we must always have a Plan A and a Plan B. This is really serious. This is an ongoing danger. “All year round we see that the time frame for wildfires within a year is actually longer now, and you see there is a fire in the city of Oakland,” said Mayor Thao.

The mayor reminded residents to create defensible spaces on their properties to protect them in the event of a forest fire. She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross were activated.

The fire was originally set at 2 alarms but has been upgraded. Just before 4 p.m., the initial dark smoke had turned white, which was a good sign that firefighters were getting water on the fire.

Cynthia Williams, a resident of a nearby apartment complex, was at work when she heard about the fire. She said she rushed home to get her son's ashes and photos as he had recently died. She said she had never experienced a forest fire like this before.

This fire comes as a warning warning is in effect for much of the Bay Area.

The red flag warning went into effect at 11 p.m. Thursday and will remain in effect until Saturday evening.

PG&E has shut off power in certain parts of the Bay Area due to critical fire weather.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.