SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY – Evacuations remain in place in San Joaquin County due to a wildfire that has burned thousands of acres southwest of Tracy.
The Corral Fire burned 12,500 acres Sunday morning after breaking out near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300, southwest of Tracy, Saturday afternoon, Cal Fire said. Fire containment also increased to 15% overnight.
The fire jumped Corral Hollow Road and reached I-580. It then burned south past the Tracy Golf and Country Club and up Lane Tree Creek where it jumped over Interstate 580 and reached Bird Road near the Granite Construction Vernalis plant.
It also jumped I-580 south of South Tracy Boulevard and burned between the highway and the aqueduct, according to a Cal Fire map.
The first large Type 1 air tanker of the year was deployed to help fight the fire. The air tanker took off from the Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit’s McClellan Airtanker Base.
400 people were assigned to fight the Corral fire, Cal Fire tells us.
Alameda Fire is also responding to the fire. Earlier this week, they completed a series of controlled burns in this same field for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. However, both agencies tell us the Corral Fire is not related to these burns.
“LLNL recently conducted a series of controlled burns to eliminate hazardous dry grass areas and provide buffer zones around buildings on Site 300. The Corral Fire is not related to the controlled burns,” the Gate said LLNL spokesperson Breanna Bishop in a statement to CBS 13. “There is currently no threat to laboratory facilities and operations.
She added that the LLNL Emergency Operations Center was monitoring the situation throughout the weekend.
Zach Matthai
Evacuations
An evacuation order was issued for people living east of I-580, between Corral Hollow Road and S. Tracy Boulevard, according to the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services. This is also known as SJC 210.
The order was extended southwest from Vernalis Road to the Tracy Golf and County Club on the east side of I-580. The new order includes the Tesla processing facility and is known as SJC211.
SJC215 was upgraded to an evacuation order. This includes an area southwest of I-580, just north of I-5.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday evening, evacuation orders were extended west along Corral Hollow Road and south to the southwestmost point in San Joaquin County.
Evacuation orders then went across I-580. The controls are between I-580 and the California Aqueduct, south to Corral Hollow Creek to Alameda County and south to Stanislaus County. These areas are known as SJC213, SJC212 and SJC199.
As of 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning, evacuation orders are still in effect for people residing in Tracy Hills and areas near the California Aqueduct.
“The San Joaquin Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office did a good job staying abreast of evacuation orders,” said Josh Silveira, Battalion Chief of Cal Fire, in a statement to CBS 13. “We work closely with them. They have been great collaborators in keeping people safe.
People can visit sjready.org for updates on the evacuation.
Temporary evacuation location
There is a temporary evacuation location at the Larch Clover Community Center, 11157 W. Larch Road, in Tracy.
A large animal shelter has been established in the Manteca Unified School District, located at 2271 W Louise Avenue in Manteca.
Road closures
East and westbound I-580 are closed from the junction with Interstate 205 to Interstate 5 due to the fire, the Caltrans website states. It is not known when it will reopen.
Highway 132 is also closed from the junction with I-580 to the junction with I-5.
S. Tracy Boulevard, S. Manteca Drive, S. Chrisman Road and Bird Road are closed.
The winds
Through Saturday evening, there will be sustained southwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph. Winds are not expected to ease until midnight and Sunday morning before picking up again Sunday afternoon.
A high wind advisory is in effect from the junction of I-205 to Livermore and Altamont Pass, according to the Caltrans road conditions website. Travel is not recommended.
Injuries
Cal Fire tells us two firefighters were transported to the hospital with minor to moderate burns.
The Tracy Police Department said firefighters will be conducting a controlled burn near the Tracy Hills neighborhood, just north of the evacuation orders.
“There are numerous firefighters on scene and evacuations are not necessary at this time,” police said in a Facebook post.
Cal Fire and Alameda Fire are battling the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although Alameda Fire says wind could be a factor.
News Source : www.cbsnews.com
Gn usa
