Fire sparked by car shut down I-280 in Redwood City, burned 10 acres

Firefighters worked around trees that continued to smoke after a fire along Interstate Highway 280 near Cañada College in Redwood City on Saturday. The blaze, caused by a vehicle fire, burned a total of 10 acres on the west and east side of the highway. By 7 p.m., the fire had stopped progressing.

Southbound lanes on Highway 280 reopened around 7:55 p.m., though the off-ramp to Farm Hill Boulevard remained closed, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 4:53 p.m., the Woodside Fire Protection District received reports of an overheated vehicle that caught fire north of Farm Hill Boulevard in Woodside. The vehicle fire spread to nearby vegetation and up the hill toward Cañada College, said Woodside Fire Protection District Deputy Fire Chief Eric Zabala.

Heavy layers of smoke could be seen on ALERTCalifornia cameras moving toward the campus buildings. Firefighters stopped the fire from spreading past the campus parking lot, preventing any damage to the buildings, Zabala said.

Due to wind and hot, dry temperatures, embers from the fire spread to the southwest side of the freeway.

Agencies across San Mateo County responded to the blaze. Zabala said Cal Fire responded with three fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters for water drops. Social media videos posted by Cal Fire also showed a plane dropping retardant on the flames.

By 6:05 p.m., Highway 280 was closed in the northbound direction at Woodside Road and in the southbound direction at Edgewood Road. Traffic was diverted, according to a social media post by the Redwood City California Highway Patrol.

Around 6:15 p.m., the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert announcing it was preparing for evacuations in Woodside in the areas of Laning Drive and Cañada Road. Approximately 10 residences were evacuated as a precaution, the Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.

Fire crews remained in the area to ensure that all surrounding areas were cool, extinguished, and posed no threat to a secondary ignition.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

Woman arrested at Meta headquarters after demanding to speak with ZuckerbergJanuary 7, 2026 11:58 am

Home of longtime downtown Menlo Park Italian restaurant hits the marketJanuary 8, 2026 4:36 pm

Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, inventor of the balloon catheter, dies at 91 in Portola ValleyJanuary 7, 2026 10:25 am