Fire in Berkeley hills reportedly damages Skyfall Estate

LATEST Oct. 20, 1:30 p.m.Forward progress has stopped on a fire that ignited atop Panoramic Hill in Berkeley and damaged one structure, Michael Hunt, a spokesperson for the Oakland Fire Department, told SFGATE. 

Read more Banana Ball set to come to Oracle Park for the first time in 2027

Approximately 75 fire personnel were able to contain the blaze to an area between a half acre and 1 acre in size just after 1 p.m., Hunt said. No injuries have been reported, but a private building was damaged at the location of the fire at 1001 Panoramic Way, he said. 

That address matches Skyfall Estate, a permanently closed property, KGO-TV reported. Fire officials told the news outlet that the blaze damaged the estate’s roof. 

The fire is also burning just above UC Berkeley’s campus. In a post on X, UC Berkeley’s police department said the fire did not affect the campus’s operations and that no evacuations are in place. 

The blaze comes amid the 35th anniversary of the deadly Oakland Hills Firestorm, which first ignited on Oct. 19, 1991.

Oct. 20, 12:56 p.m. A grass fire is burning on Tuesday atop Panoramic Hill in Berkeley, officials said. 

Read more Body found in Death Valley National Park identified

The Panoramic Fire, which ignited at approximately 11:36 a.m., has grown from 2 to 3 acres and is threatening one structure, Keith May, a spokesperson for the Berkeley Fire Department, told SFGATE. May could not confirm which structure is threatened by the flames but said it is “most likely a home.”

Smoke over the Berkeley Hills can be seen on wildfire cameras from AlertCalifornia. SFGATE also observed a large plume of smoke coming from hillside area. 

The fire is burning near Panoramic Way at the Stonewall-Panoramic Trail closer to the Oakland side of Panoramic Hill at a “very slow rate of speed,” May said. 

This breaking news story will be updated.