California firefighters battle wind-driven wildfire east of San Francisco
- California’s biggest blaze of the year, dubbed the Corral Fire, broke out on Saturday
- Thousands of people, including parts of the city of Tracy, were ordered to leave
California firefighters made significant progress on Sunday to tame a wind-driven wildfire that scorched thousands of acres almost 100km east of San Francisco, burned down a home and forced residents to flee the area near the central California city of Tracy.
The fire erupted Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of the country’s key centre for nuclear weapons science and technology. The cause was under investigation.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the research centre was not under immediate threat from the blaze, dubbed the Corral Fire, which had devoured some 52 sq km (22 square miles) by Sunday afternoon. The fire was 50 per cent contained as of Sunday evening.
Thousands of people in the area, including parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000, were ordered to leave for evacuation centres Saturday. The evacuation order was lifted to allow residents to return home starting Sunday evening. Tracy is about 112km (70 miles) south of California’s capital in Sacramento.
CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira said Sunday afternoon the fire “burned right up to the homes” in the area and destroyed one house. With calmer winds and milder weather Sunday, Silveira said he didn’t expect the fire to grow.
Two firefighters suffered minor to moderate burns on Saturday and were expected to make a full recovery, Silveira said.