Officials are asking residents in a neighborhood south of Tracy to evacuate as a wildfire in the area grew to over 9,000 acres, closing parts of Interstate 580 on Saturday evening.
Residents living east of I-580 between Corral Hollow Road and South Tracy Boulevard should leave the area, the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services said Saturday around 7 p.m. A temporary evacuation site is being established at the Larch Clover Community Center at 11157 W. Larch Road in Tracy.
Residents south of Tracy Boulevard should also be prepared to leave, officials said.
High winds are leading to the quick growth of the fire. In a little over an hour, it grew from 4,900 acres on Saturday as of 7:40 p.m. to 8,800 acres as of 8:50 p.m, according to CalFire.
The Corral Fire broke out Saturday around 2:40 p.m. near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300, southwest of Tracy.
The fire, reported earlier this afternoon as 40% contained, had been downgraded to just 10% contained as of 8:50 p.m. on Saturday evening, CalFire reported.
“Our biggest struggle currently in trying to get the upper hand on the fire is that the winds out here are extremely brisk,” said CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira.
Air fire crews could not find air space to fly safely in, as winds gusted over 40 miles per hour. Fire crews from across the area — including the Alameda County, Santa Clara County and San Joaquin County, will be combatting the fire from the ground throughout the night, he said.
Those high westerly winds, which are expected to continue throughout the night, are pushing the fire eastward toward Tracy and Stockton, said Craig Shoemaker, meteorologist NWS Sacramento.
To make matters worse, the wildfire broke out along the Altamont Pass, where winds pick up speed as they squeeze through the tight canyon.
“That’s what has allowed this fire to spread and really get going,” Shoemaker said.
Gusts are expected to drop to 25 miles per hour by tomorrow morning, bringing cooler, more humid air, he added.
The Alameda County Fire Department had been conducting prescribed burns in the area throughout the week starting May 28, but did not perform any Saturday, spokesperson Cheryl Hurd said.
