A wildfire that prompted the evacuation of the city of Tracy east of San Francisco is now 94% contained.
CAL FIRE says the Corral Fire is now 14,168 acres large after starting early Saturday afternoonnear Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site.
The wildfire presented no threat to any laboratory facilities or operations, Lawrence Livermore spokesperson Paul Rhien said in a statement to The Associated Press early Sunday.
One home was destroyed and two firefighters were injured.
The cause of the SanJoaquin County fire remains under investigation.
The progress against the Corral Fire comes just ahead of a predicted major heat wave. The National Weather Service has issued warnings for “dangerously hot conditions” throughout the Central Valley from Tuesday through Thursday.
Due to the upcoming predicted fire weather, the CAL FIRE Amador – El Dorado Unit will be suspending all burning in Amador County, El Dorado County, Alpine County, and Sacramento County SRA, effective Tuesday, June 4 through Friday, June 7. pic.twitter.com/mUwyKEYiCa
— CAL FIRE AEU (@CALFIREAEU) June 3, 2024
Update, June 2:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California firefighters expected to gain ground Sunday on a wind-driven wildfire that scorched thousands of acres 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of San Francisco, burned down a home and forced residents to flee the area near the central California city of Tracy.
The fire erupted Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of the country's key centers for nuclear weapons science and technology. The cause was under investigation.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the research center was not under immediate threat from the blaze, dubbed the Corral Fire, which had devoured some 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) by Sunday afternoon and was 30% contained.
Thousands of people in the area, including parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000, were ordered to leave for evacuation centers.
CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira said Sunday afternoon the fire “burned right up the homes” in the area and destroyed one house. With calmer winds and milder weather Sunday, Silveira said he didn't expect the fire to grow.
Two firefighters suffered minor to moderate burns on Saturday and were expected to make a full recovery, Silveira said.
The wildfire presented no threat to any laboratory facilities or operations and had moved away from the site, Lawrence Livermore spokesperson Paul Rhien said in a statement to The Associated Press early Sunday.
“As a precaution, we have activated our emergency operations center to monitor the situation through the weekend,” Rhien said.
Photos showed a wall of flames moving over the parched landscape as dark smoke billowed into the sky.
The wildfire also forced the closure of two major highways, including an interstate that connects the San Francisco Bay Area to San Joaquin County in central California, but they had reopened by Sunday afternoon.
The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation order for areas west of the California Aqueduct, south of Corral Hollow Creek, west to Alameda County and south to Stanislaus County. A temporary evacuation point was established at Larch Clover Community Center in Tracy. The order was still in place as of early Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s high temperature for Tracy was expected to reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius), with no rain in the forecast, but hotter conditions are on their way.
The National Weather Service said “dangerously hot conditions” with highs of 103 F to 108 F (39.4 C to 42.2 C) were expected later in the week for the San Joaquin Valley, an area that encompasses Tracy. Wind gusts of up to 45 mph (72 kph) lashed the region Saturday night, according to meteorologist Idamis Shoemaker of the weather service in Sacramento.
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Original Article, June 1:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California firefighters aided by aircraft battled a wind-driven wildfire burning Saturday in an area straddling the San Francisco Bay Area and central California, authorities said.
Gusty winds have fueled the Corral Fire burning near the city of Tracy, 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of San Francisco, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the city of Livermore, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
The blaze grew to 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) within hours, sending dark plumes of smoke high into the sky. It was 40% contained, Cal Fire said.
Interstate 580, which connects the San Francisco Bay Area to San Joaquin County in central California, was closed in both directions from Corral Hollow Road to Interstate 5 due to the lack of visibility from the smoke, the California Department of Transportation said in a statement.
The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation order, pinpointing the wildfire in an area east of Interstate 580. Residents between Corral Hollow Road and Tracy Boulevard were ordered to leave their homes, with residents south of Tracy Boulevard told to be prepared for evacuation.
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