UPDATE: LIVERMORE, Calif. — The 14,000-acre Corral Fire near Tracy that destroyed one home and injured two firefighters is now 75% contained, CAL FIRE officials say.
Cecile Juliette with CAL FIRE says crews are making good progress compared to Saturday when the fire broke out.
Juliette says they took advantage of higher humidity and cooler temperatures Sunday morning and grew containment lines Sunday night.
However, she warned of the heat wave coming Tuesday and Wednesday that will dry everything out even more.
ORIGINAL STORY:
FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Firefighters are battling the Corral Fire in San Joaquin County. Winds have fueled the flames and forced people to evacuate from their homes.
The fire also shut down parts of Interstate 5 and Interstate 580, jumping 580 at one point.
At the time of this writing, the Corral Fire has scorched over 14,000 acres near the city of Tracy.
Hundreds of firefighters are working to put out the fire, including crews from CAL FIRE in Fresno County.
At 3 a.m., a strike team from Fresno County headed to the Corral Fire. While crews have made progress on the fire, the heat was a challenge.
Aerial video Sunday afternoon shows just how much the Corral Fire has burned so far. The fire burned thousands of acres and threatened homes.
The fire broke out on Saturday. Crews rushed to put it out, but the winds fanned the flames, spreading it quickly.
“The fire was wind driven,” said Battalion Chief Brandon Markle with CAL FIRE/Fresno County Fire. “We had really high winds and rolling hills and grassy areas. So the fire moved pretty fast.”
But firefighters made progress on Sunday. Markle said their crew left the Central Valley early in the morning to help fight the blaze.
“We’re currently doing perimeter control,” said Markle, “making sure that the fire stays contained in the lines that were built.”
Batt. Chief Markle told Action News they’re keeping a close eye on the conditions.
Investigators are still trying to find out what sparked the fire. With wildfire season here, firefighters said it’s a reminder to always be ready.
“Residents need to do their due diligence and pay attention to the heat,” said Markle. “If we’re going to do our grass, make sure we do it in the morning before 10 a.m.”
So far, two firefighters have been hurt fighting the Corral Fire.
