Little Fire grows to 1,007 acres, forces Pleasanton evacuations

Residents in Ruby Hill and other neighborhoods along Pleasanton’s southern edge were ordered out as the Little Fire surged to 1,007 acres south of the city and was reported at 10% containment. One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene as crews worked to stop the fast-moving blaze in the Sunol-Pleasanton area of Alameda County.

Cal Fire said the fire ignited shortly before 3 p.m. near Little Valley Road. Earlier updates put it at about 700 acres and 0% contained, then about 950 acres and 10% contained, showing how quickly it spread through the hills south of Pleasanton. An early KCRA update placed the fire at the 9400 block of Blessing Drive in Pleasanton at 5 acres and 20% contained before it expanded far beyond that point.

Livermore Police said the fire was burning outside Livermore and in the Sunol/Pleasanton area, and that officers were helping with evacuation operations at CAL FIRE’s request. Some evacuation orders were later lifted while others remained in place, keeping pressure on residents in Ruby Hill and nearby neighborhoods as the fireline moved close to homes. The Mercury News said the blaze came within a few hundred feet of houses in Ruby Hill, and hundreds of firefighters were planned to work through the night.

Pleasanton has seen this kind of threat before. In June 2022, the Canyon Fire on Pleasanton Ridge forced evacuations near Golden Eagle Estates, west of Foothill Road, Bernal Avenue and Interstate 680. The latest fire again showed how wildfire danger in the Bay Area now reaches the suburban edge, where hillside vegetation meets homes, roads and neighborhoods that can be put at risk in a matter of hours.