In early June 2024, the Corral Fire rapidly spread through grasslands near Tracy, California, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. The fire, which started near Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, eventually covered over 14,000 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in California for the year. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Strong winds and ample fuel helped spread flames over 14,000 acres of grassland in California’s San Joaquin County. In early June 2024, blazes from the Corral Fire spread rapidly in grasslands near Tracy, California. Propelled by strong winds, the flames spread over 14,000 acres, making it the largest wildland fire in the state so far
The fire ignited on June 1 in the vicinity of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300, 8 miles southwest of Tracy. Dry grass and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour made the fire difficult to contain, according toSatellite Imagery Analysis The OLI-2 on Landsat 9 captured this image of the blackened hillside on June 2. For comparison, the upper image shows the same area on May 17.—a gap in the Diablo Range—which has notoriously high winds,” said Jessica McCarty, branch chief of biospheric sciences at’s Ames Research Center. “June 1 was especially windy, and the leeward side of the pass is also drier, providing fuel for the fire.”for wildfires in California, it’s not clear how 2024 will fare.