Firefighters Knock Down Vegetation Fire Near I-880 on Saturday

Firefighters extinguished a vegetation fire near the southbound Interstate Highway 880 off-ramp by the Hayward and Union City border Saturday afternoon, an Alameda County Fire Department official said.

Firefighters responded to the fire near Whipple Road around 3:55 p.m., Alameda County fire Battalion Chief Stephanie Radecke said. The fire, which burned about 1 acre, was put out shortly before 5 p.m., according to Radecke.

Three Alameda County fire engines and four Hayward fire engines responded to the blaze, Radecke said. The northbound Interstate Highway 880 on-ramp at Whipple Road has been closed due to the fire, according to the California Highway Patrol.

This is the second fire in the area in two days, according to Radecke. On Friday afternoon, fire crews responded to another vegetation fire in the same area between the rear of a Public Storage facility and the freeway, she said. Both fires were near a possible homeless encampment, she said. While putting out the fire near Highway 880 today, Alameda County firefighters also responded to a vegetation fire in the 33300 block of Mission Boulevard near Dry Creek in Union City around 4:30 p.m., Radecke said.

The blaze burned about an acre of heavy brush and was extinguished by about 4:45 p.m., she said. The fire was in a heavily populated area near Dry Creek Apartments, according to Radecke. No injuries were reported in all three fires.

—By Bay City News