A wind-driven California wildfire that erupted east of San Francisco appeared to be spreading on Sunday, forcing evacuations and highway closures.
About 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, which covered about 12,500 acres in San Joaquin and was only 15% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
"Strong winds and dry grass have made it difficult for firefighters to contain," the Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit said Sunday morning on Facebook.
Dramatic aerial photos posted Sunday on the Santa Clara Unit's Facebook page showed the Corral Fire's long leading edge, with a piece of heavy machinery being used to try to create a firebreak in the vegetation.
"Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow," Cal Fire said on its website.
Two fire workers were injured, Santa Clara Unit Chief Baraka Carter said, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The fire broke out Saturday near the city of Tracy, about 60 miles from San Francisco and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, according to the Associated Press.
The San Joaquin Office of Emergency Services ordered residents in areas west of the California Aqueduct, south of Corral Hollow Creek, west to Alameda County and south to Stanislaus County to "leave now" and gather at the Larch Clover Community Center in Tracy.
Interstate Highway 580, which connects the San Francisco Bay Area to San Joaquin County in central California, was closed from the Alameda County line to the Stanislaus County Line.
State Route 132 was also closed from I-580 to state Route 33, the California Department of Transportation said in a statement.
Late Saturday, Cal Fire said the wildfire was near Lawrence Livermore's Site 300, where researchers develop and test explosives for nonnuclear weapons about 15 miles east of the main facility, AP said.
But early Sunday, a Lawrence Livermore spokesperson said the fire had moved away from the site and didn't pose any threats to lab facilities or operations, AP said.
