Evacuation ordered as crews battle grass fire in San Joaquin County

THE CITY OF DAVIS. TONIGHT WE ARE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS OUT OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY. EVACUATION ORDERS ARE NOW IN EFFECT FROM A GRASS FIRE. FIRE CREWS SAY MORE THAN 900 ACRES HAVE BURNED. WE’RE GOING TO SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW THE AREA THAT IS INSIDE THAT EVACUATION ZONE. AGAIN, THIS IS NOW IN ORDER AS OF JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO. THE MAIN POINT OF THIS, IT’S JUST SOUTH OF THE TRACY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. YOU CAN SEE THAT ON YOUR SCREEN. SO THE AREA IN RED IS THE FOCUS OF THIS EVACUATION ORDER ZONE ON THE NORTH SIDE THAT BORDER IS CORRAL HOLLOW ROAD. ON THE NORTH. ON THE SOUTH SIDE IT’S VERNALIS ROAD ON THE SOUTH. SO THAT RED CHUNK IS ALL THE AREA IN BETWEEN THERE. THAT SOUTH BUFFER IS JUST NORTH OF THE TESLA TREATMENT FACILITY. IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, YOU CAN SEE THE REALLY DEFINING EAST BORDER OF THIS IS INTERSTATE 580. SO AGAIN, IF YOU ARE IN THIS AREA THAT IS IN RED JUST SOUTHWEST OF TRACY, YOU’RE BEING TOLD TO EVACUATE. NOW FROM A GRASS FIRE. THE FIRE STARTED AT 230 THIS AFTERNOON. SO IT STARTED ABOUT 3.5 HOURS AGO AND HAS BEEN GROWING SINCE. THIS IS VIDEO FROM AN ALERT CALIFORNIA CAMERA IN THE AREA. YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THAT SMOKE RISING INTO THE AIR, AND A LOT OF IT BLOWING IN THE WIND. AT THIS POINT, CAL FIRE SAYS THAT THIS IS 40% CONTAINED, BUT AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT PLUME IS REALLY GROWING. THIS IS A LOT OF GROWTH THAT WE’VE SEEN NOW SINCE THE 5:00 HOUR. THE WIND, AGAIN, IS REALLY MAKING THIS TOUGH FOR FIRE CREWS. AND THEY SAY THAT IT IS PUSHING THE FIRE TOWARD THE CITY OF TRACY AGAIN, WIND IS A BIG FACTOR HERE AND IT IS WARMER OUTSIDE. WE WANT TO BRING IN METEOROLOGIST DIRK DEVAUGHN, WHO IS TRACKING ALL OF THOSE CONDITIONS. DIRK WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT THIS AREA, WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW AS WE’RE SEEING THESE FLAMES GROW? YEAH, WELL, YOU’VE GOT VERY DRY GRASS STILL IN THE AREA, SO IT MAKES IT EASY FOR THE FIRE TO GROW. BUT ALSO WE HAVE SOME VERY STRONG WINDS. I WAS KIND OF SURPRISED TO SEE HOW THESE WINDS COMING UP OVER THE COASTAL MOUNTAINS ARE THEN DIVING DOWN THE COMING FROM THE WEST. SO GOING UP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND THEN DIVING DOWN TOWARD THE VALLEY. SO IT ACTUALLY PICKS UP SPEED. GRAVITY HELPS THAT THAT WIND BLOW ALONG. AND WITH THE HOT CONDITIONS OR THE WARM CONDITIONS THAT WE’VE HAD IN THE VALLEY, IT ALSO IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. BUT YOU CAN SEE CORRAL, CORRAL HOLLOW ROAD HERE TO THE NORTH, AND THEN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE AGAIN, I 580, WHICH IS ALSO I-5 THERE. AND WE ARE LOOKING AT THE WIND GUSTS OF 43MPH. THOSE ARE SOME PRETTY STRONG GUSTS THAT WE’VE HAD ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SO FAR. AND SO THAT’S REALLY GOING TO HELP TO PUSH THE FIRE ALONG PRETTY QUICKLY. AND SO THAT’S GOING TO BE THE BIG CONCERN RIGHT NOW. IT’S HARD TO GET ON TOP OF A FIRE AND PUT IT OUT WHEN IT’S MOVING SO FAST. AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE WINDS PUSHING IT ALONG AT 43MPH, IT’S GOING TO BE HARD TO KEEP UP WITH IT AS IT ROLLS ALONG OVER THAT VERY DRY GRASS. SO I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST CONCERN RIGHT NOW, IS BEING ABLE TO GET OUT IN FRONT OF THIS AND TRY TO STOP IT FROM GROWING WITH THOSE STRONG WINDS. BRITTANY AND DIRK, WE’VE JUST SEEN THIS GROW AT LEAST BY HUNDREDS OF ACRES SINCE WE LAST SAW OUR AUDIENCE AT 5:00. AGAIN, NOW AT 6:00, THIS IS NOW IN EVACUATION ORDER. WE WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR. THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE NOW. IF YOU ARE IN THIS AREA. THIS IS SOUTH OF THE TRACY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE BUFFER ON THE NORTH IS CORRAL HOLLOW ROAD. THAT’S AGAIN ON THE NORTH, AND ON THE SOUTH IS VERNALIS ROAD. THE SOUTH BUFFER IS JUST NORTH OF THAT TESLA TREATMENT FACILITY. AGAIN, IT’S A REALLY GRASSY AREA, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE FOLKS IN THIS AREA THAT MAIN CUTOFF AT THIS POINT IS INTERSTATE 580. SO IF YOU’RE IN THE AREA, IT’S TIME TO JUST GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS AND GET TO SAFETY OUTSIDE OF THIS ZONE. JUST IN THE PAST FEW MINUTES, THIS CHANGED FROM A WARNING TO AN ORDER. SO YOU CAN’T BE PACKING UP AT THIS POINT. IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO GET OUT OF THERE. WE WILL BE TRACKING THIS FIRE VERY CLOSELY. WE WE ARE GOING TO GET SOME MORE VIDEO FROM THE GROUND THERE JUST TO SEE THE CONDITIONS. BUT AGAIN, WINDS PLAYING A REALLY BIG FACTOR IN THIS AND MAKING THIS A CHALLENGE. FIRE CREWS SAY THAT THEIR MAIN FOCAL POINT ESSENTIALLY IS THAT 580 CORRIDOR THAT’S SERVING AS A BUFFER FOR THAT EVACUATION ORDER AREA. WE’LL CHECK BACK IN IN JUST A LITTLE BIT WITH ANY OTHER UPDATES THAT WE DO GET. BUT AGAIN, THIS RED AREA, IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO GO AND TO GET TO SAFETY. SA

Evacuation ordered as crews battle grass fire in San Joaquin County

Updated: 6:46 PM PDT Jun 1, 2024

Several agencies have responded to a grass fire in San Joaquin County on Saturday that has burned hundreds of acres. Cal Fire’s website shows the blaze has spread 4,920 acres and is 40% contained. The fire is near West Corral Hollow Road south of Tracy. An evacuation order has been issued by Cal Fire for residents in the area. The South San Joaquin Fire Authority is also assisting with the effort. | MORE | A 2024 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in CaliforniaHere are key websites that are important for all Californians during wildfire season.Cal Fire wildfire incidents: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up to receive text messages for Cal Fire updates on wildfires happening near your ZIP code here.Wildfires on federal land: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when returning from one here. Here is how to report track and report PG&E power outages.Keeping informed when you’ve lost power and cellphone service: How to find a National Weather Service radio station near you.Be prepared for road closures: Download Caltrans’ QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here.San Joaquin County emergency informationSan Joaquin County Office of Emergency ServicesSign up for the SJReady community notification systemSan Joaquin County neighborhood evacuation mapsFire departments in San Joaquin CountySee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. —

Several agencies have responded to a grass fire in San Joaquin County on Saturday that has burned hundreds of acres.

Cal Fire’s website shows the blaze has spread 4,920 acres and is 40% contained. The fire is near West Corral Hollow Road south of Tracy.

An evacuation order has been issued by Cal Fire for residents in the area.

The South San Joaquin Fire Authority is also assisting with the effort.

| MORE | A 2024 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California

Here are key websites that are important for all Californians during wildfire season.

San Joaquin County emergency information

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.