580 Reopens After Oakland Fire

PG&E completed repair work early this morning that forced the closure of two freeways in Oakland since around 11 p.m. Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The electrical work was necessary following a three-alarm brush fire Friday afternoon in the Oakland hills, a company spokeswoman said.

The closures of Interstate Highway 580 and state Highway 13 were supposed to happen at 9 p.m., but PG&E needed more time to start restringing the power lines, PG&E spokeswoman Jana Morris said.

The freeways were reopened by 12:30 a.m. today.

The closures impacted westbound Highway 580 at 98th Avenue, including the Keller and Edwards Avenue ramps, and eastbound Highway 580 at Seminary Avenue. Southbound state Highway 13 was also closed at Mountain Boulevard, according to CHP.

The fire, reported around 1:45 p.m., triggered evacuations along Altura Place and Rifle Lane, where some homes were threatened, according to Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton.

Firefighters faced dry conditions, steep terrain and moderate winds but were ultimately able to limit the fire to around 2 acres and contain it by around 3:15 p.m. without injury or structural damage, Drayton
said.

They remained on the scene into the night to make sure the fire did not reignite, Drayton said.

The fire appears to have been triggered when a car struck a power pole in the area of Mountain Boulevard and Edwards Avenue, Drayton said.

Community members should be aware that conditions will grow more dangerous this weekend, and precautions should be taken to avoid fires, she said.

"We're expecting higher winds tomorrow and hotter temperatures," Drayton said.

The fire also caused a power outage affecting an estimated 6,700 customers. As of 8 p.m., all customers had their power restored, Morris said.