An elderly couple tries to recover from the loss of their home in Corral Fire; Cal Fire warns residents to be careful

Fire crews have made progress battling the Corral Fire near Tracy in San Joaquin County. The fire has burned 14,000 acres and containment is now at 75%. But with triple digits expected this week and a dry northerly wind arriving, firefighters are on alert and they are warning residents to be careful, too. The couple who lost their home now have to deal with the charred damage left behind. “They saw it coming,” said Travis Curtiss, their son. “They weren’t aware of how fast it was moving.” Curtiss said his older parents grabbed their two dogs and turtle when the sheriff knocked on their door with evacuation orders Saturday. “As they were retreating, they could see the 'The barn was going up,' he said. The fire burned through the field behind the Curtiss property and then hit the barn. It caught fire and ignited, then spread to the rest of the property “The wind just pushed all the embers and carried them through the house,” Curtiss said. “When the wind picks up, it can lift. embers and projecting them over the containment line, which is something you never want. That's why we're still here,” said Cécile Juliette, Cal Fire spokeswoman. She said Cal Fire has pulled back some resources, but crews are still working to detect hot spots, especially before arrival temperatures of 100 degrees this week Cal Fire fears another fire could break out and warns people to be careful and not careless Don't throw away a lit cigarette or mow your lawn this week, it said. she insisted. “We have the power to control the course of this wildfire season and that of the summer,” she said. The cause of the Corral fire has not yet been discovered. Now, Stevan and Chris Curtiss have to figure out how to move on at this point in their lives. “Nobody wants to see their parents in that kind of situation,” Travis Curtiss said. “Nobody wants to see their parents, technically homeless. right now, and at 75 and 84 years old, it’s heartbreaking.”