California firefighters battle wind-driven wildfire east of San Francisco

California firefighters aided by aircraft battled a wind-driven wildfire that continued not only burning but spreading early Sunday in an area straddling the San Francisco Bay Area and central California, authorities said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California firefighters made significant progress Sunday to tame a wind-driven wildfire that scorched thousands of acres 60 miles east of San Francisco, burned down a home and forced residents to flee the area near the central California city of Tracy.

The fire erupted Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of the country’s key centers for nuclear weapons science and technology. The cause was under investigation.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the research center was not under immediate threat from the blaze, dubbed the Corral Fire, which had devoured some 22 square miles by Sunday afternoon. The fire was 50% contained as of Sunday evening.

A home burns during the Corral Fire at Bernard and Stearman roads, west of Tracy, Calif., on June 1, 2024.Kent Porter / The Press Democrat via APThousands of people in the area, including parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000, were ordered to leave for evacuation centers Saturday. The evacuation order was lifted to allow residents to return home starting Sunday evening. Tracy is about 70 miles south of California’s capital in Sacramento.

CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira said Sunday afternoon the fire “burned right up to the homes” in the area and destroyed one house. With calmer winds and milder weather Sunday, Silveira said he didn’t expect the fire to grow.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/california-wildfire-rcna155092

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