Firefighters continue battling Corral Fire near Tracy, Livermore

 As of Sunday evening, the Corral Fire has burned over 14,000 acres and is 50% contained.

 Firefighters expected to gain ground Sunday on the Corral Fire, which has scorched 14,168 acres, burned down a home, and forced residents to flee the area near Tracy. Emma Goss and Rob Mayeda report. 

The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a key center for nuclear weapons science and technology. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the blaze, the Corral Fire, did not threaten the research center. By Sunday afternoon, it had consumed approximately 22 square miles, or about 14,168 acres, and was 50% contained by Sunday evening.

Thousands of people, including residents of parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000, were ordered to evacuate to centers on Saturday. The evacuation order was lifted, and residents were allowed to return home starting Sunday evening. Tracy is about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of California’s capital, Sacramento.

CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira reported that the fire had "burned right up to the homes" in the area, destroying one house. However, with calmer winds and milder weather on Sunday, Silveira did not expect the fire to expand.

Two firefighters sustained minor to moderate burns on Saturday but were expected to recover.

Lawrence Livermore spokesperson Paul Rhien stated that the wildfire posed no threat to laboratory facilities or operations and had moved away from the site. "As a precaution, we have activated our emergency operations center to monitor the situation through the weekend," Rhien said in a statement to The Associated Press early Sunday.

Photos depicted a wall of flames advancing over the dry landscape, with dark smoke billowing into the sky.

The wildfire also led to the closure of two major highways, including an interstate connecting the San Francisco Bay Area to San Joaquin County in central California, they had reopened by Sunday afternoon.

The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation order for areas west of the California Aqueduct, south of Corral Hollow Creek, extending west to Alameda County and south to Stanislaus County. A temporary evacuation point was set up at Larch Clover Community Center in Tracy. The evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings after 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sunday’s high temperature in Tracy was expected to reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius), with no rain in the forecast. However, hotter conditions were anticipated later in the week.

The National Weather Service warned of "dangerously hot conditions" with temperatures ranging from 103 F to 108 F (39.4 C to 42.2 C) expected later in the week for the San Joaquin Valley, an area surrounding Tracy. Wind gusts up to 45 mph lashed the region on Saturday night, according to meteorologist Idamis Shoemaker of the Weather Service in Sacramento.