A wind-driven fire is currently raging across thousands of acres, located 60 miles east of San Francisco. This has led to residents evacuating their homes and the closure of two major freeways near Tracy in central California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that the fire started on Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a key center for nuclear weapons science and technology in the country.
Despite the blaze, named the Corral Fire, consuming around 20 square miles by Sunday afternoon and being only 15% contained, the research center was not immediately threatened. However, authorities did advise some residents to leave the area and set up evacuation centers.
No laboratory facilities or operations were at risk from the wildfire, as confirmed by Lawrence Livermore spokesperson Paul Rhien in a statement to The Associated Press early Sunday. He mentioned activating the emergency operations center as a precaution.
The extent of structural damage caused by the fire was unknown at the time. Images showed a fiery wall moving through the dry landscape, with dark smoke rising into the sky.
Firefighters in California, aided by aircraft, were struggling to contain the wind-driven wildfire that was spreading across the region straddling the San Francisco Bay Area and central California. Officials attributed the difficulty to strong winds and dry grass.
Interstate 580 and SR 132 were both closed due to the wildfire, disrupting traffic between the Bay Area and central California. Evacuation orders were issued for specific areas, with a temporary evacuation point set up in Tracy.
Weather forecasts indicated a high of 85 degrees Fahrenheit for Tracy on Sunday, with no rain expected. However, hotter temperatures were predicted for later in the week, with the National Weather Service warning of “dangerously hot conditions” reaching 103 F to 108 F in the San Joaquin Valley area.
