What you need to know about California's Corral Fire

Lina PortmanJune 3, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Top line

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate parts of California's San Joaquin County overnight as first responders continued to battle a wildfire that broke out Saturday afternoon and spread to more than 12,500 acres as of Sunday morning, with the fire still largely uncontained.

A view of transmission towers in flames as the Corral Fire continues in San Joaquin County, California. … [+] June 2, 2024.

Anadolu via Getty Images

Highlights

The fire broke out near Site 300 of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where explosive materials and hydrodynamic equipment are developed and tested, and quickly spread, crossing a major highway and heading south.

Interstate 580 was closed Saturday and remains closed Sunday from Alameda County to Stanislaus County, while evacuation orders continued to expand overnight as local firefighters reported the lockdown had passed from 40% to 13%, before bringing it back to 15%.

The investigation is looking into the causes of the fire.

Dry conditions and gusty winds contributed to the fire's rapid spread, according to Fox Weather, and two firefighters have been injured since the fire started.

The region is under an excessive heat watch, with high temperatures between 95 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service, and strong winds are expected to continue overnight, according to CNN.

The fire broke out about 70 miles east of San Francisco and nearly 80 miles south of Sacramento. The nearest large city is Modesto, about 30 miles to the east, which is home to about 200,000 people.

Large number

14. That's the number of large wildfires (in which 300 acres or more were burned) in California so far this year, according to the nonprofit media group Cal Matters. So far, 34,400 acres have burned.

Key context

California experiences the highest number of wildfires between the months of April and October, but the wildfire season is lengthening and fires are getting worse due to climate change, scientists say. The Environmental Protection Agency warned in February that fires in the state were expected to continue to increase in intensity and frequency, potentially not only destroying properties and ending lives, but also permanently deteriorate air quality. Increasing heat and severe drought have been blamed for sparking and fueling more wildfires.

Tangent

In Hawaii last year, hurricane-force winds pushed wildfires into drought-stricken areas and grounded helicopters meant to help fight the blaze, fueling the deadliest blaze in the United States. United for over a century. Nearly 100 people died, historic Lahaina was razed and thousands of homes, cars and businesses were destroyed in the fire, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said caused $5.6 billion in damage.