Three-alarm brush fire scorches Oakland Hills

Firefighters mopping up Oakland brusher

Firefighters from several agencies managed to get the three-alarm fire under control before it could cause any significant damage.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A brush fire scorched a hillside in Oakland on Saturday night, prompting a large, multi-agency response as officials gathered to combat the blaze.

The fire was initially reported to be a two-alarm event and was reported to be burning in the area of Skyline Boulevard and Grass Valley Road in the Chabot Park neighborhood – about two miles east of the Oakland Zoo – just after 9 p.m., according to the Oakland Fire Department.

The brusher was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm fire, and more than 50 firefighters were deployed to deal with flames in about 150 square feet of brush that were burning at a slow rate of speed, the OFD told KTVU. 

No buildings were reported to be threatened by the flames.

OFD Chief Damon Covington told KTVU that ground units worked quickly to get the blaze contained.

"Crews have done a fantastic job of really getting to the head of the fire and getting control of the fire," he said.

Cal Fire, East Bay Regional Park District and Oakland Police Department units assisted in the response.

Forward progress of the brush fire was halted by about 10:10 p.m., and roughly 60 firefighters at the scene managed to surround the blaze, the OFD said.

Covington told KTVU that firefighters would likely remain on the scene throughout the night to completely extinguish the fire and mop up any lingering hot spots. 

"We are on the verge of fire season," Covington said. "We're ready to go, our team is ready to go. And this was an example of it."