Corral Fire spreads to 14,000 acres, but evacuation order lifted (2024)

Emergency officials on Sunday evening lifted the evacuation order affecting 200 homes near Tracy, as firefighters continued to battle the Corral Fire that started Saturday afternoon and grew to more than 14,000 acres Sunday, the region’s first major blaze of the season and California’s largest of the year.

Cal Fire said Sunday afternoon the fire was 30% contained, a near tripling since early Sunday morning, and by 6 p.m. the agency said containment had reached 50%. Nearly 400 firefighters assisted by air tankers fought the blaze, which started near Livermore National Laboratory Site 300.

Two firefighters from Alameda County Fire Department were injured while battling the fire.

“They were transported to local hospitals, where they are being cared for and evaluated,” the department said in a news release Sunday afternoon. A Cal Fire spokesperson said the firefighters were in stable condition and recovering.

As of Sunday at 3:45 p.m., only one structure had been damaged, a home considered a total loss, Cal Fire said.

“Yesterday we were seeing 30- to 40-mile-an-hour sustained winds and 60-mile-an-hour gusts, and when you get winds that are that high they move a grass fire very quickly,” said Cal Fire spokeswoman Cecile Juliette. On Saturday firefighters “weren’t even able to make a direct attack,” but on Sunday, “they took advantage of the better weather conditions,” Juliette said. “They really made a lot of headway.”

Fast-moving flames turned the rolling hills south of Tracy, until recently largely carpeted in golden dried grass, into a blackened wasteland. Cal Fire Capt. Robert Foxworthy said Sunday that the dried-out grasses, combined with wind, created conditions receptive to whatever sparked the blaze.

A fire this large in early June should be “an eye-opener” for the public, Juliette said. “Usually you don’t really start to ramp up and get to that size until July,” she said.

Of greatest concern to fire officials were the new Tracy Hills subdivision, which so far has a handful of homes, and the neighborhood around Tracy Golf & County Club where the house was destroyed.

The home, which burned largely to the ground, sat in front of hills burned completely black, between houses apparently untouched by fire. Two charred palm trees stood at the entrance to the driveway of the ruined home, which held several burned-out cars. Melted fencing lined the property’s edge.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Sunday afternoon, Cal Fire said. Alameda County Fire Department said Sunday that it had performed a prescribed burn Friday in the area of the fire, but it was out by 3 p.m. and the department does not see any connection between that operation and the Corral Fire.

South of Tracy, a firefighting crew from Santa Cruz, supported by state prison inmate firefighters, had been battling the fire since around 6 a.m., and by Sunday afternoon were spraying water onto smoldering hot spots, to keep flames away from the Tracy Hills subdivision.

“We’ve just been out here doing mop up and just making sure that any potential for rekindling or the fire to spread is just stopped here,” Cal Fire Capt. Skylar Merritt said.

After I-580 was closed from I-205 to I-5 overnight and most of the morning, eastbound 580’s left lane and the westbound lanes reopened before noon, but the right lane remained closed from Corral Hollow Road to South Bird Road in San Joaquin County. At 6 p.m. Sunday, all eastbound lanes were open.

Residents living west of the California Aqueduct, south of Corral Hollow Creek, west to Alameda County and South to Stanislaus Countywere told to leave the area at around 9 p.m. Saturday, the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services said. About 200 homes were in the evacuation area, but fire officials could not estimate how many residents actually evacuated.

A temporary evacuation site was established at the Larch Clover Community Center at 11157 W. Larch Road in Tracy.

Only three people were at the evacuation site as of Sunday morning, according to Elise Vigil, San Joaquin County staff. However, people have been coming in and out since the fire began.

“Most people are stopping by here before checking into hotels or finding their own accommodations,” Vigil said.

The community center is stocked with enough water and snacks for evacuees.

On Sunday evening, Cal Fire announced that the evacuation order would be lifted at 6 p.m., although the 200 affected homes remained under an evacuation warning, with residents urged to remain vigilant and prepared for the situation to potentially change.

The Hold Your Horses Emergency Evacuation Response Team also was called to respond to residents who might need assistance evacuating animals Saturday night.

The team was on standby, but the Contra Costa-based organization returned home without having to rescue any animals.

“We urge people to evacuate their animals ahead of time,” said Chantel Tieman, HYH cofounder. “Don’t wait, so you can get your animals into the evacuation site.”

Those with large animals who need to evacuate can bring them to the Manteca Unified School District at 2271 W. Louise Ave in Manteca.

High winds from the west caused the quick growth of the fire as it burned east toward Tracy after starting around 2:30 p.m Saturday. From 4,900 acres at 7:40 p.m. the blaze exploded to 8,800 acres by 8:50 p.m., according to Cal Fire.

By 6 a.m. Sunday, 12,500 acres had burned and the blaze was just 15% contained.

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, improved weather conditions allowed crews to advance in constructing and enhancing control lines. At least 400 firefighters have been deployed to the fire so far, and Cal Fire said “numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.”

Here is a link for the Corral Fire evacuation map/information for the west portion of San Joaquin County. #cawx https://t.co/NqXOQATgev pic.twitter.com/sqFOgK4uuK

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) June 2, 2024

The fire broke out Saturday around 2:40 p.m. near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300, southwest of Tracy. The site was formerly a high-explosives and materials testing site.

The fire, reported earlier Saturday afternoon as 40% contained, was downgraded to just 10% contained as of 8:50 p.m. on Saturday evening, Cal Fire reported.

High winds hampered firefighters’ efforts to get control of the fire early on. Air fire crews struggled to find air space to fly safely in, as winds gusted over 40 miles per hour, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira said. Fire crews from across the area — including Alameda County, Santa Clara County and San Joaquin County, are combatting the fire from the ground.

Those high westerly winds pushed the fire eastward toward Tracy and Stockton, said Craig Shoemaker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

To make matters worse, the wildfire broke out along the Altamont Pass, where winds pick up speed as they squeeze through the tight canyon.

“That’s what has allowed this fire to spread and really get going,” Shoemaker said Saturday.

Officials are advising drivers to avoid the area.

– Staff reporter Ethan Baron contributed to this report.