SAN FRANCISCO — A fast-moving brush fire in Northern California damaged four structures in the hills of Oakland, prompting an evacuation order as it grew to 8-acres (3.2-hectare).
No injuries were immediately reported as at least 80 firefighters battled the blaze and state crews arrived to help, the Oakland Fire Department said.
The fire comes as forecasters issued red flag warnings for fire danger until Saturday from the central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into northern Shasta County, not far from the Oregon border.
The fire is burning in the Oakland hills where a 1991 fire destroyed nearly 3,000 homes and killed 25 people.
A California utility shut off power in 19 counties in the northern and central part of the state as a major ”diablo wind” — notorious in autumn for its hot, dry gusts — spiked the risk of power lines sparking a wildfire.
About 16,000 customers were without electricity Friday after Pacific Gas and Electric shut off power.
The ”diablo wind” is forecast to cause sustained winds reaching 35 mph (56 kph) in many areas, with possible gusts topping 65 mph (104 kph) along mountaintops, according to the National Weather Service. The strong winds are expected to last through part of the weekend.
The utility began cutting power Thursday to customers in 12 counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano and Sonoma in the Bay Area, and some customers farther north in Colusa, Glenn, Tehama and Shasta counties, PG&E said.