Dozens flee from Oakland hills fire

A fast-moving fire raged though dry brush and grass in the Oakland hills on Tuesday afternoon, forcing dozens of residents to flee as firefighters scrambled to protect homes while battling the fierce wall of flames, officials said.

Aircraft dropped fire retardant and water on the blaze as crews on the ground attacked the burning vegetation in a former rock quarry turned residential neighborhood below Campus Drive and just south of Merritt College.

The blaze, named the Edwards Fire after nearby Edwards Avenue, was first reported around 12:15 p.m. and took off in the rugged and exposed hillside surrounded by homes in the Caballo Hills neighbor-

hood, officials said.

Hot temperatures, low humidity and blustery winds kicked the fire into an inferno that grew to 10 acres within minutes, firefighters said.

The intense flames turned to white smoke, signaling crews had gotten a handle on the fire around 1:30 p.m. Firefighters worked their way down the charred hillside, cutting away brush as the flames died down and immediate threats decreased.

The fire was at 22 acres and 60 percent contained 6 p.m., said Acting Deputy Chief Melinda Drayton of the Oakland Fire Department . She said firefighters expected to stay at the scene overnight, putting out hot spots and mopping up.

Homes were evacuated on Bayview and Skyview drives down the hill from the fire. More houses uphill on the 13650 block of Campus Drive and on Ridgemont and Viewcrest drives were also evacuated.

By 4 p.m., many evacuees were being allowed back into their homes.

Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris lives in the evacuated area. He was at work when he got word of the fire and raced home.

“I had my hose and sprinklers and was making preparations,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to fight this bad boy if it comes my way.’ ”

Fortunately for Burris, and his neighbors, including Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, no homes burned.

Classes at Merritt College were canceled and the school was evacuated as a precaution.

There were no immediate reports of damage to any homes and no reported injuries.

Mike Erickson lives on the 6200 block of Viewcrest Drive and scrambled to throw his paperwork, pictures and laptops into the trunk of his car when he got the call to evacuate.

“I’m not worried,” he said amid the chaos in his neighborhood Tuesday. “You’ve got to keep your cool, and it looks like the wind is shifting the right way.”

Joel Weiner lives near Viewcrest Drive and Viewcrest Court, about two blocks from the fire.

He heard helicopters shortly after noon.

“I thought they were chasing bad guys,” he said.

When Kenneth Frith got the call to flee, he grabbed his shih tzu, Murphy, and ran.

“Murphy’s life came first,” he said. “You can always get another computer.”

Crews with Cal Fire and the Alameda County Fire Department were helping the Oakland Fire Department fight the fire.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

The fire stirred up memories for some residents of the Oakland hills fire in October 1991 that destroyed 3,500 homes and killed 25 people.

That firestorm — California’s all-time most destructive wildfire — burned about 8 miles to the north of Monday’s fire in a neighborhood near Highway 24 below Grizzly Peak Boulevard. Steve Rubenstein and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: srubenstein @sfchronicle esernoffsky@ sfchronicle.com