Fire burns more than 14,000 acres south of Tracy | News Tracy Press

People living in rural areas and residential areas near the Tracy Golf and Country Club and Chrisman Road were quickly evacuated as the fire began to spread. A home in the neighborhood just west of the golf course reportedly caught fire and was described as a total loss.

The fire missed the Tracy Hills residential area but forced road closures on Interstate 580 and Highway 132, as well as Tracy Boulevard and MacArthur Drive, as heavy smoke reduced visibility. Tracy police reported that a controlled burn was planned near Tracy Hills in response to the fire, but no evacuations were necessary there.

As of Sunday morning, flames had burned 12,500 acres, growing to 14,000 acres by Sunday afternoon and 14,168 acres by the time the fire was largely contained, having spread as far as Bird Road.

Once Interstate 580 reopened Sunday, there were several areas where flames had jumped over the roadway and ignited grass along the median dividers and on the north side of the highway, but firefighters quickly contained those. fires.

As of Monday evening, evacuation orders and road closures had been lifted, according to Cal Fire and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department.

Cal Fire reported two firefighters were injured. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira confirmed that two Alameda County Fire Department firefighters were injured early in the incident, but no other injuries were reported.

Buildings also caught fire, and Silveira and South San Joaquin Deputy Fire Chief Eric Oliveri confirmed that a home on Bernard Road on the south side of Interstate 580, just west of Chrisman Road, had been destroyed.

Residents in that area could be seen evacuating their livestock Saturday afternoon, and although cattle were also seen heading east before the fire, Silveira noted that no livestock was injured.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Initial reports originated at Site 300, and Silveira said that while investigators from Cal Fire and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department are not ruling out that as the origin of the fire, they are looking into a a number of other possibilities. and where the fire started

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory had announced it would conduct prescribed burns beginning in the last week of May, depending on weather conditions, and released a statement Sunday that prescribed burns and the Corral Fire have not no link.

“LLNL recently completed a series of controlled burns to eliminate hazardous dry grass areas and provide buffer zones around Site 300 buildings. The Corral Fire is not related to the controlled burns,” said Paul Rhien , LLNL public information officer.

The South San Joaquin County Fire Department sent eight apparatus and 28 personnel to the scene, and neighboring agencies including Lathrop-Manteca, Mountain House, Manteca, Woodbridge, Lodi, Waterford-Morada and Liberty are also sending apparatus and personnel .

Cal Fire reported that 475 personnel, 45 engines, 16 bulldozers and 15 water tenders were assigned to this incident. Silveira added that agencies from San Joaquin, Alameda and Merced counties as well as the state Office of Emergency Services responded.

Silveira also confirmed that this is the first major incident of 2024 for Cal Fire.

“This reminds us that fire season is upon us and that we must be vigilant as fire agencies and as Californians,” he said.