California wildfire near explosives-testing facility mostly contained, averting potential danger

Sharon Udasin
·2-min read

California’s largest wildfire to date this season — kindled on Saturday adjacent to an explosives- and materials-testing facility — has been 75 percent contained, Cal Fire announced Monday.

The so-called Corral Fire, whose source was still under investigation, had grown to about 14,168 acres just southwest of the city of Tracy, in San Joaquin County, due east of San Francisco.

While the blaze had led to numerous evacuation orders over the weekend and shuttered Interstate 580, the orders were downgraded by Monday, and the highway was reopened, according to Cal Fire’s Santa Clara Unit.

San Joaquin County also announced the cancellation of a boil water notice that had gone into force Sunday.

Although any imminent danger appeared to have been averted by Monday, the Corral Fire’s location had garnered some concern due to its proximity to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300.

The 11-square-mile Department of Energy research lab opened in the 1950s “primarily as a high-explosives and materials testing site in support of nuclear weapons research,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Cleanup at the facility has been ongoing, but past activities there “contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals,” including tritium, depleted uranium and volatile organic compounds, per the EPA.

Asked about any potential threat posed by the fire to the site, Paul Rhien, a spokesperson for Livermore, said in an emailed statement that Cal Fire is investigating the cause of the blaze.

He added that the site had recently conducted controlled burns to remove dry grasses and create a buffer zone around the buildings, stressing that the fire was “not related to the controlled burns.”

“There are no current threats to any Laboratory facilities and operations as the fire has moved away from the site,” Rhien said, noting that there has not been any on- or offsite contamination.

“As a precaution, we activated our emergency operations center and monitored the situation through the weekend,” he added.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Rare shark that lives for 500 years could hold secret to increasing human lifespan

    The metabolism of a shark species which can live for 500 years could help scientists treat heart disease and increase people’s lifespan, scientists hope.

  • Coffee, eggs and white rice linked to higher levels of PFAS in human body

    US study that researchers say highlights chemicals’ ubiquity also shows PFAS association with seafood and red meat

  • Washed-up giant shark removed from beach by forklift

    The body of a giant basking shark which washed up on Scottish beach has been removed by a forklift.

  • Indonesia launches first EV battery plant

    Indonesia launched its first electric vehicle battery plant on Wednesday, President Joko Widodo said, as Southeast Asian countries move to gain a foothold in the emerging industry.The plant is part of a $9.8 billion electric vehicle battery deal signed between Indonesia and LG in 2020.

  • Flirting with disaster: When endangered wild animals try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose

    Conflicts between herders and the wild ancestors of their yaks, camels and reindeer are a serious threat to both people and wildlife, writes a scientist who has seen these clashes firsthand.

  • 'It's all gone': floods in southern China devastate residents

    STORY: This shop owner in southern China's Hunan Province is busy cleaning up debris on Wednesday after heavy rainfall and flooding devastated her stationary store.She says she didn't receive any notice to move her goods and asks: "How can a family survive in this situation?"Heavy rainfall pounded parts of Hunan earlier this week, causing the water level of a local river to reach its highest level in 70 years.Local authorities have activated the maximum emergency response level.This restaurant owner said she had to flee before it became impossible to get herself out.Now, with her business flooded - she says she is heartbroken and doesn't know how she will provide for her children.Last week, President Xi Jinping urged authorities to put in all-out efforts to protect lives as floods and natural disasters increased.China has provided more than $316.4 million in funds to help with rescue efforts and emergency supplies as deadly floods and landslides caused by almost two weeks of torrential rain ravage several parts of the country.In Changsha, the capital of Hunan, the Xiang and Laodao rivers are expected to hit peak dangerous levels Thursday morning, state media reported.

  • Freya the rescued lion cub is safe in South Africa, but many other lions there are bred to be shot

    Freya, a 6-month-old lion cub rescued from the wildlife trade in Lebanon, poked a curious nose out of her transport crate and sniffed the air. Satisfied, she took her first cautious steps in her new forever home in a sanctuary in South Africa. Freya's relocation to the Drakenstein Lion Park is only a partial success story.

  • Why Alaska’s elite firefighters are being deployed to protect its permafrost

    America has deployed firefighters by parachute to tackle distant blazes for more than 70 years, but now their mission has changed.

  • To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species

    To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins.

  • What Is the Most Dangerous Animal in the World?

    It's hard to say what is the most dangerous animal in the world; you're not comparing apples to apples. But when it comes dangerous, these four top the list.

  • ‘Really stupid’: Biden bashes climate change deniers while announcing extreme heat safeguards

    Very few US states have workplace standards for heat exposure currently in place.

  • Climate scientists urge responsible use of AI as Google’s emissions soar by 48% since 2019

    Scientists have asked individuals to think twice before using AI to generate memes.

  • Grin and bear it: ‘Giant’ bear found under deck of Colorado home

    Moving the 400-pound bear from under the deck into a truck was a ‘grueling process,’ state officials said

  • Philippine town cleans up beach in exchange for rice

    STORY: :: Mabini, PhilippinesPlastic waste litters the shores of this resort town near Manila, the Philippines' sprawling capital.This coastal cleanup crew is trying to hold back the steady flood of waste.But each sack of they gather doesn't go unrewarded. They get a two-pound bag of rice in exchange, enough for a small family's needs.:: This Earth Green campaigners say the exchange can educate the community about why protecting the environment is so critical, all while keeping the shores clean, and as inflation bites, keeping people here, like Janeth Aceveda, afloat. "The exchange is a huge help for us because in a month I need four and a half sacks of rice, but now all I have to buy is two sacks, which is a huge help in saving money. It also helps the environment and it shows when our surroundings are clean." Mabini in Batangas province is a world-class scuba diving destination, known for its vibrant corals and marine biodiversity. But a rising tide of plastic pollution is posing an increasing threat to marine life. Organizer Giulio Endaya has witnessed the harm first hand. :: Giulio Endaya, Exchange organizer"I've seen sea turtles entangled in nets and other types of plastics. They've been known to eat straws and plastic bags, and the fish also eat microplastics that have been, you know, broken down in the shore. And recently we've been finding more and more microplastics even in fish that we eat, so it's also harmful to us." To untangle the problem, Endaya and his group of volunteers spearheaded the ‘Plastic Palit Bigas’– or ‘plastic in exchange for rice’– program. The project is funded by donations from individuals and small companies that advocate for marine conservation. Through the exchange, Mabini volunteers can turn in sacks of litter, regardless of weight, for a kilogram– or 2.2 pounds– of rice. Volunteer Raymond Basit says it’s been a potent incentive. "It helps a lot because people now have an urge, because of poverty and especially during these times, the price of goods is so high. Now during their free time they can clean, and they push themselves to clean because they get something in return, which is a big help for them." An updated 2022 University of Oxford report found that The Philippines accounts for 36% of the total global input of plastic waste into the ocean, more than any other country. The plastic for rice exchange aims to change that. :: 4.7 tonsAccording to Endaya, since clean-up efforts began in October 2022, more than 4.7 U.S. tons of garbage have been collected and exchanged for nearly 3 tons of rice.

  • 'It's a disaster': Hurricane Beryl batters Jamaica

    Floodwaters poured down streets of Kingston, as the storm ripped roofs off buildings on the island's southern coast.

  • GM will pay $146 million in penalties because 5.9 million older vehicles emit excess carbon dioxide

    General Motors will pay nearly $146 million in penalties to the federal government because 5.9 million of its older vehicles do not comply with emissions and fuel economy standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement Wednesday that certain GM vehicles from the 2012 through 2018 model years did not comply with federal fuel economy requirements. The penalty comes after the Environmental Protection Agency said its testing showed the GM pickup trucks and SUVs emit over 10% more carbon dioxide on average than GM's initial compliance testing claimed.

  • Mapped: Hurricane Beryl powers through Caribbean islands as Category 3 storm

    Hurricane Beryl could make a ‘rare’ double strike in Mexico and potentially impact southeastern US

  • Nearly 30,000 people evacuated as devastating wildfire rages across Northern California

    Four firefighters and as many civilian have been reported injured

  • Not politics, not interest rates: India's surging economy at risk from water

    Water delivered by tankers provides one additional bucket to each of its 1,000 residents for drinking and cooking. In parts of the arid state of Rajasthan, southwest of the Indian capital, tap water is available once every four days for an hour. In rural areas near Mumbai, women and children travel more than a mile to get water.

  • Floods kill nine in India and Bangladesh, millions affected

    Torrential rains and surging rivers across northeast India and neighbouring Bangladesh have killed at least nine people, disaster officials said Thursday, with more than three million people affected.In low-lying Bangladesh, downstream from India, the disaster management agency said floods had impacted around 1.8 million people.