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First responders survey the scene on Quigley Avenue in Oakland after a grass fire broke out along the 580 freeway on Friday, September 16, 2022.

A vegetation fire sparked in Oakland just off Interstate 580 and rapidly blew up into spot fires that spread to five homes on Friday afternoon, prompting a panicked evacuation as firefighters battled to stop the blaze from burning more buildings.

One firefighter was transported to the hospital with heat-related injuries and no other injuries were reported, firefighters said. I-580 was temporarily closed in the westbound direction.

Just before 2:15 p.m., fire officials said, they responded to a two-alarm vegetation fire at 35th Street and MacArthur Blvd. Within 15 minutes they said a third alarm was called, two structures were on fire and there were “multiple spot fires along westbound 580.” By 3 p.m. a fourth alarm was called and the fire was affecting four structures, at least two of which were on Quigley Street. Later, firefighters said five structures were involved, including a vacant home that was completely destroyed.

A total of 15 people lost homes, Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman said.

This incident has gone to a 3rd Alarm. We have multiple spot fires along westbound 580 as well as two structures currently with active fire on Quigley St. https://t.co/LGZhrUzrm2

By 3:30 p.m. the flames had settled but smoke clouded the sky and five fire engines remained on the scene, working to protect structures and monitoring hot spots.

Seven thousand residents were initially were left without power as a result of the fire, most residing on Quigley Street, Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman said. By 5:30 p.m. the number of residents that were experiencing power outages dropped to 445, the Oakland Fire Department said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Marlo Brooks, 49, was in Pleasanton when she received a phone call from her distraught daughter, Dvohnna Morgan. “Mom, there’s a fire,” she screamed into the phone.

Brooks jumped into her car and said she drove as fast as she could to get home.

“100 mph,” she said. Minutes before the phone call, Morgan had been asleep in her home that borders the freeway when she woke up to a phone call from her friend, who was outside the house. “There’s a fire, you need to get out,” Morgan said. She ran out — leaving behind two dogs — and she cried as she saw the flames approach the back of her home.

“I was panicking,” she said breathlessly.

Firefighters went in and retrieved the two dogs. But as of 3:41 pm, Brooks and Morgan didn’t know if their house was still standing.

“I’m just worried. If we lose everything I don’t know what we are going to do,” Morgan said.

Chung Ngo, who works at the Chevron station at the corner of Quigley and 35th, had just arrived for his 3 p.m. shift. The fire had already started. He stood near the gas pumps watching as firefighters continued working.

“The smoke was so thick,” he said. “It was difficult to breathe. It’s terrible.”

Sarah Ravani, Danielle Echeverria and Jordan Parker are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com, jordan.parker@sfchronicle.com

Sarah Ravani covers Oakland and the East Bay at The San Francisco Chronicle. She joined The Chronicle in 2016 after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay.

Danielle Echeverria is a reporter for The Chronicle's Engagement and Breaking News team. She recently completed her Master's degree in journalism at Stanford University, where she won the Nicholas Roosevelt Environmental Journalism Award for her reporting and covered agriculture, climate change and worker safety. She previously interned The Chronicle on the Business desk, as well as at Big Local News, focusing on data journalism. She is originally from Bakersfield, California.

Jordan Parker is a breaking news reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle. Before joining the newsroom, he spent six semesters on his award-winning college newspaper, the State Hornet, where he won two Associated Collegiate Press awards and led the organization to an Innovation Pacemaker award as editor in chief. Parker is a proud Sacramento State University alum, where he recently earned his bachelors degree in journalism in May 2022. He is originally from Pittsburg, California.