Jun 12, 2008 8:39 pm US/Pacific
Oakland Hills Fire Contained, Causes '91 Flashback
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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Smoke rises from the fire near Tunnel Road.
CBS
Oakland fire officials credited "very cooperative weather" and good training in helping firefighters quickly contain a three-alarm, 2-acre brush fire in the Oakland Hills on Thursday that burned eerily close to the location of a disastrous fire 17 years ago.
The fire, which climbed a slope toward some apartments and condominiums in an area west of the Caldecott Tunnel was reported around 11:30 a.m. and was contained shortly after 1:30 p.m.
Approximately 50 firefighters battled the blaze and Oakland fire personnel received assistance from Cal Fire and the Berkeley and East Bay Regional Park District fire departments.
Firefighters used helicopters dropping fire retardant and water from Lake Temescal, while ground crews battled the blaze with high-powered hoses.
Fire crews managed to encircle the blaze, stopping the flames about 25-yards from a cluster of condominiums. The entire area was devastated in an October 1991 fire, and the condos were rebuilt.
Thursday's blaze didn't cause any injuries or evacuations, Battalion Chief Lorenzo Frediani said. He said at least seven townhome complexes were threatened by the fire, but no homes were seriously damaged.
Frediani said one home may have sustained some minor damage to its deck and other homes might have suffered minor smoke damage if windows were left open.
Smoke from the blaze could be seen from all over Oakland, but the fire didn't affect the Caldecott Tunnel or Highway 24, which both remained open.
Frediani said the fire began near Tunnel Road, which is north of Highway 24, then went uphill toward Buckingham Boulevard, Hiller Drive and Charing Cross Road.
Joe Tavakoli, a resident who lives on Charing Cross, was in Alameda when the fire ignited and was notified of blaze by his cousin and housemate.
He quickly returned to the fire-threatened neighborhood, however his concerns quickly decreased as the flames calmed.
The fact that winds were light helped firefighters contain the fire quickly, Frediani said.
He noted that brush in the area had been kept low and firefighters had practiced fighting fires in hilly and brushy locale.
"The crews trained hard and it showed today," he said, adding that a quick response was essential because "five minutes is a big deal in that situation."
Frediani said the area where the fire occurred "is a really sensitive spot for us, both as firefighters and citizens" because it brought back memories from the 1991 fire in the Oakland Hills.
Firefighters had believed that they had extinguished that blaze 17 years ago, when it then rekindled overnight and ravaged the area.
Oakland fire Battalion Chief James Riley and Oakland police officer John Grubensky were among the 25 people who were killed in that blaze. Another 150 people were injured.
The 1991 fire destroyed 2,843 single-family dwellings and 436 apartment and condominium units.
Frediani said although Thursday's fire was declared contained, firefighters planned to remain on the scene of the charred hillside into the night to ensure the fire did not flare up again.
"We don't want to take any chances," he said, adding that the cause of the fire was under investigation.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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