Large brush fire burns near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Alameda County firefighters say

LIVERMORE, Calif. — The fire burning near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, southwest of Tracy in San Joaquin County, is now 12,500 acres and 15% contained, CAL FIRE said Sunday morning.

The agency said high winds and dry grass made the situation difficult to contain.

Other neighborhoods south and west of Tracy were ordered to evacuate after a wind-driven wildfire grew to 10,000 acres and closed part of Interstate 580 on Saturday.

Residents east of Interstate 580, between Corral Hollow Road and South Tracy Boulevard, were the first to be asked to leave by the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services.

Evacuations were extended to people living west of the California Aqueduct, west of Alameda County and south of Stanislaus County, the office said in social media posts.

The Coral Fire that started east of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 closed Interstate 580 from Corral Hollow Road to Interstate 5 in both directions, Caltrans said on social media.

Two Alameda County firefighters were taken to local hospitals for treatment of minor to moderate burns, said Cheryl Hurd, a department spokeswoman.

Winds in the hills west of Tracy were gusting between 20 and 25 mph, with gusts to 43 mph, said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Monterey. The wind is expected to remain high until after midnight, he said.

The fire, reported at 2:39 p.m., grew to about 30 acres at 4:45 p.m. and reached 11,047 acres with 13% contained by 11:17 p.m., Cal Fire said on its website.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, Hurd said.

Site 300, located 15 miles east of the main Lawrence Livermore site, houses facilities to support the development of explosive materials as well as hydrodynamic testing and diagnostics, according to the laboratory's website.

Caltrans says I-580 from Corral Hollow Road to I-5 is closed in both directions due to the fire.

Stay with ABC7 News for the latest details on this developing story.