Corral Fire Destroys Home; Containment Grows To 75%

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA — Work to put out the Corral Fire, burning just over the Alameda County line in San Joaquin County, reached 75 percent containment Monday morning after charring more than 14,000 acres and destroying one home, according to fire officials.

The fire ignited Saturday afternoon east of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Site 300, southwest of Tracy.

By daylight Sunday, two firefighters had been hospitalized, residents had been ordered evacuated, and eastbound Interstate 580 was closed. The fire prompted mandatory evacuation around Tracy, which were reduced to warnings late Sunday afternoon.

The injured firefighters, both Alameda County Fire Department members, were treated for minor to moderate burns. No other injuries were reported.

Crews attacked the flames from the ground and air Sunday — with both fixed wing and at least one helicopter in the sky — and up to 475 firefighters and 45 engines were assigned to the scene. Multiple agencies from Alameda County assisted at the scene, including engines from Alameda, Fremont and Hayward.

Fire crews gained the upper hand on the blaze by Sunday evening, reporting 50 percent containment and 14,168 acres burned. In an update shared Monday morning, officials said containment improved to 75 percent, but the flames had destroyed a home near the Tracy Golf and Country Club.

Site 300 spans 7,000 acres about 15 miles east of Lawrence Livermore's main site and is part of the laboratory's nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship program, according to its 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.

The cause of the Corral Fire remains under investigation. The Alameda County Fire Department had conducted a controlled burn at Site 300 on Friday, and officials said crews confirmed that the fire was out when the operation ended.

More dry weather is forecast this week, with a heat wave due in the Bay Area Tuesday through Thursday, warming inland temps 10 to 15 degrees above normal and getting near triple digits closer to the Central Valley.

Patch Deputy Regional Editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this report.