As fire crews across the Bay Area prepare for a hot weekend and elevated fire danger, dozens of firefighters were called to a well-known park in the Oakland Hills to fight a vegetation fire. Flames ripped through dry brushes just off the Sequoia Bay Hiking Trail, sending smoke rising above the Oa kland Hills. It started just before 7 p.m. Friday, prompting a rapid response from Oakland Fire, with help from Contra Costa Fire and Cal Fire, to surround the flames before they could spread. “Crews did a phenomenal job getting to the location of the fire and then allocating crews to make sure we extinguish it as quickly as possible,” Michael Hunt with Oakland Fire said. That quick response stopped the fire at just over half an acre in less than an hour. And that speed mattered. The dense vegetation and tall trees inside Joaquin Miller Park can make firefighting challenging, especially as fire danger begins to increase across the region. “The size of the trees and dense vegetation in the area makes it not only a really complex response but also one that requires us to be extremely efficient and quick to get to contain and stop forward progress,” Hunt said. “That’s actually what got us out of the house. We saw the planes circling, so loaded the kids up to see what was going on,” Oakland resident Josh Lynch said. For people who live in the Oakland Hills, a fire like this can be especially unnerving. The 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm also began as a small grass fire before strong winds reignited it the next day, killing 25 people and destroying more than 3,000 homes. That history is why even a half-acre fire can put neighbors on edge. The Lynch family says they were relieved to learn this fire was stopped quickly but admit their first thought was whether they might have to evacuate. “I just had that thought before we left the house. I hope we don’t need to evacuate. I actually have everything prepared in a situation like that,” Angeli Lynch said. Firefighters will remain in the area overnight, searching for hot spots and cutting away vegetation to make sure this fire doesn’t flare back up as warmer, drier conditions move into the Bay Area. No structures were threatened and there are no reports of any injuries. ...read more read less