Wind-driven Corral Fire forces evacuations near Tracy as it tops 11,000 acres

TRACY — Neighborhoods southwest of Tracy were ordered to evacuate Saturday because of a wind-whipped wildfire that grew past 11,000 acres and closed part of Interstate Highway 580.

The Corral Fire, first reported about 2:30 p.m. east of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Site 300, reached 11,047 acres, with 13% containment, shortly before 11:30 p.m., Cal Fire said on its website.

Residents east of Highway 580 between Corral Hollow Road and South Tracy Boulevard were the first ones told to leave by the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services.

The evacuations were expanded to those living west of the California Aqueduct, west to Alameda County and south to Stanislaus County, the county office said in social media posts. More evacuation information is available at  sjready.org.

A temporary evacuation point was established at at Larch Clover Community Center located at 11157 W Larch Rd, Tracy, CA 95304.

The Corral fire that began east of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Site 300 closed Interstate 580 from Corral Hollow Road to Interstate 5 in both directions, Caltrans said on social media.

Two Alameda County firefighters were taken to local hospitals for treatment of minor to moderate burns, said Cheryl Hurd, a spokesperson for the department.

Winds in the hills west of Tracy were 20 to 25 mph, gusting to 43 mph, said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The wind was expected to remain elevated until after midnight, he said.

The blaze, first reported at 2:39 p.m., was about 30 acres by 4:45 p.m. It jumped to 4,920 acres, with 10% contained, as of 7:35 p.m., Cal Fire said on its website.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, Hurd said.

Site 300, located 15 miles east of Lawrence Livermore’s main site, is home to facilities to support development of explosive materials as well as hydrodynamic testing and diagnostics, according to the laboratory’s website.

The facility assesses the operation of non-nuclear weapon components through hydrodynamic testing and tests new conventional explosives for use as part of the nuclear stockpile, the laboratory said.