California firefighters made significant progress battling a wind-driven wildfire on Sunday, according to AP News.
The fire broke out Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It is one of the country’s key centres for nuclear weapons science and technology. The wildfire did not pose a threat to any laboratory facilities or operations, Lawrence Livermore spokesman Paul Rhien said.
As a precaution, we have activated our emergency operations centre to monitor the situation through the weekend.
The fire scorched thousands of acres 60 miles (97 kilometres) east of San Francisco. It also burned a house and forced residents to flee an area near the town of Tracy in central California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stated that the research centre was not under immediate threat from the disaster, dubbed the Corral Fire. It had consumed about 22 square miles (52 square kilometres) by Sunday afternoon. As of Sunday evening, firefighters had the fire 50 per cent contained.
Authorities had ordered thousands of people in the area, including parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000, to go to evacuation centres on Saturday. However, the evacuation order was lifted so residents could return home starting Sunday evening. Tracy is about 70 miles (112 kilometres) south of California’s capital Sacramento.
Corral Fire
CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira stated Sunday afternoon that the fire “burned right up to the homes” and destroyed one home. However, he added that he did not expect the fire to expand given calmer winds and mild weather on Sunday. Two California firefighters suffered minor and moderate burns on Saturday, Silveira reported.
The wildfire also caused the closure of two major highways, including an interstate highway connecting the San Francisco Bay Area to San Joaquin County in central California. However, they reopened by Sunday afternoon.
High temperatures in Tracy were expected to reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, with no rain forecast. The National Weather Service reported “dangerously hot conditions” later this week sweeping across the San Joaquin Valley. Maximum temperatures will reach 103 to 108 F (39.4 to 42.2 C).
