2 Firefighters Hurt, Evacuation Order Lifted, I-580 Open: Corral Fire

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA — Firefighters gained the upper hand on the Corral Fire Sunday, located just over the Alameda County line in San Joaquin County. In an update released shortly before 7 p.m., containment grew to 50-percent, as the area blackened held steady at 14,168 acres.

Evacuation orders were downgraded to evacuation warnings at 6 p.m.

There have been no reports of damaged or destroyed structures, and no reports of injuries by members of the public.

A boil water notice issued Sunday remains in effect for residents in CSA 16 — "Par Country Estates Water System to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution due to a power outage and resulting water outage."

Two firefighters were injured on Saturday, both members of the Alameda County Fire Department who were hospitalized with minor to moderate burns.

The Corral Fire was first reported at 2:39 p.m. Saturday at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 southwest of Tracy. By daylight Sunday, two firefighters had been hospitalized, residents had been ordered evacuated, Interstate Highway 580 was closed eastbound, and 12,500 acres had burned. The fire was just 15-percent contained.

The fire was fought from the ground and air Sunday morning — with both fixed wing and at least one helicopter in the sky.

The firefighter ranks grew to 475 strong by sundown Sunday. Some engines have been released, from 60 down to 45. The firefighters have 15 water tenders, 16 bulldozers and other equipment at their disposal.

"Two ACFD Firefighters suffered minor to moderate burn injuries," Alameda County Public Affairs Manager Cheryl Hurd said in a statement Saturday evening. "They have been transported to local hospitals." Due to privacy concerns, no updates will be given on their conditions.

According to Cal Fire, the evacuation warning is for areas west of the California Aqueduct, South of Corral Hollow Creek, West to Alameda County and South to Stanislaus County. Again, this warning is a downgrade from an earlier order.

The California Highway Patrol reported a full closure Saturday night of Interstate Highway 580 eastbound at I-205 because of the fire. A sig-alert was issued shortly before midnight. It reopened at 12:15 p.m. Sunday. Smaller roads in the vicinity of the fire remain closed, except for local residents.

Fire crews were hampered by strong winds blowing through the area Saturday and overnight into Sunday. 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. Those winds died down on Sunday, giving firefighters the break they needed to build fire lines.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Alameda County Fire Department conducted a controlled burn at Site 300 on Friday. It ended just before 3:00 p.m. and crews confirmed that the fire was out when the operation ended, according to Hurd.

Cal Fire is the lead in a multi-agency response that includes CalFire, Alameda County Fire Department, Livermore/Pleasanton Fire, Tracy Fire, and more.

Site 300, covering 7,000 acres about 15 miles east of Lawrence Livermore's main site, 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.

Bay City News contributed information about wind speed and Lawrence Livermore Lab to this story.