Residents forced from their homes over the weekend were allowed to start returning home Sunday night after authorities announced a wildfire broke out near a local explosives and materials testing site in San Joaquin County.
The Corral Fire started Saturday afternoon near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 and is burning west of Interstate 580.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire was 50% contained.
Feeding on hay, the fire spread toward Tracy, a city of about 100,000 people east of San Francisco, triggering mandatory evacuations that were downgraded to warnings at 6 p.m. Sunday.
“Residents are advised to remain vigilant and prepare for possible changes,” the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services said in a notice to residents.
The fire is also considered a threat to a nearby laboratory, which the Environmental Protection Agency describes as a “testing site for high explosives and materials that supports nuclear weapons research,” The Associated Press reported Sunday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the site, which has been in operation since the 1950s, “has contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals” and that a long-term cleanup is underway.
The fire temporarily closed Interstate 580, but all lanes have been reopened. The area remains under lockdown while crews continue to battle the blaze.
