A Northern California wildfire has burned thousands of acres, forced evacuations and left two firefighters injured this weekend.
Flames spread through San Joaquin County on Saturday, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people, including parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000. The evacuation order was later lifted on Sunday evening to allow residents to return home.
The blaze, dubbed the Corral Fire, closed part of Interstate Highway 580 and continued to threaten communities.
CalFire Battalion chief Josh Silveira said on Sunday afternoon the fire “burned right up to the homes” in the area and destroyed one house.
By Sunday afternoon, the fire had spread to 14,000 acres and was 30 per cent contained, Cal Fire said in a post on X. In the morning, officials said the fire grew to 12,500 acres.
More than 400 personnel have been assigned to the blaze and made significant progress on Sunday. The fire was 50 per cent contained by evening.
“Weather conditions became more favorable for firefighters, allowing crews to make progress constructing and improving control lines,” Cal Fire said in a statement.
The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services asked residents east of Highway 580 between Corral Hollow Road and South Tracy Boulevard to leave first. A temporary evacuation point was established at Larch Clover Community Center, CBS News reported.
It’s not clear what caused the fire.
Two Alameda County firefighters were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor to moderate burns, according to the outlet.
The National Weather Service reported that winds in the hills west of Tracy were 20 to 25 mph, gusting to 43 mph. Winds were expected to be elevated until midnight on Sunday.
Cal Fire said that the fire was reported at 2.39pm on Saturday near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 and had reached 30 acres by 4.45pm before jumping to 4,920 acres.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the research centre was not under immediate threat from the fire.
The federal lab, about 40 miles southeast of downtown Oakland, conducts experiments on nuclear reactions, lasers, atomic structure and molecular biology.
The blaze is the first major wildfire this year in California, marking the beginning of the state’s wildfire season.
