Carnegie State Vehicular Rec Area Becomes Staging Location For Crews Battling Tesla Fire

A large grass fire burning between Livermore and Tracy has consumed 2,500 acres and is now 25 percent contained, according to an update this morning on the Cal Fire Twitter feed.

No injuries have been reported, but Cal Fire officials said one structure has been lost so far. Details about the kind of structure involved were not immediately available. The Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area was evacuated last night as the fast-moving fire quickly spread.

According to the Carnegie SVRA Facebook page, Corral Hollow Canyon in Carnegie will be the staging area for firefighters and the park will likely be closed through Tuesday. Carnegie officials said via Facebook that the fire is no longer burning in the park, but may have burned the south side of the park in the back hills.

“We don’t have a number for acreage burned in the park yet, but portions of the Franciscan and Pottery areas burned yesterday evening.”

Cal Fire says 257 fire personnel are using 53 fire engines, 6 dozers and 2 water tenders to battle the blaze.

Reports of the fire came in at 2:45 p.m. off Tesla Road near Corral Hollow Road between Tracy and Livermore, Cal Fire officials said. Shortly after 4 p.m. the fire covered about 100 acres, and shortly before 5 p.m. it had spread to about 200 acres, according to Cal Fire.

At 5:20 p.m. the fire had been reported at 500 acres but by 6:20 p.m., it had already doubled in size to 1,000 acres. As of 7:37 p.m. the fire had grown to 1,500 acres, Cal Fire said, but by 8:25 p.m. the fire had reached 2,500 acres. Cal Fire spokeswoman Pam Temmermand said the fire has been growing steadily since it was first reported Wednesday afternoon.

Cal Fire officials expect to achieve greater containment today, she said. Firefighters are expecting more wind and high temperatures today, which hampered their efforts Wednesday, according to Temmermand.

Smoke from the fire could be seen throughout the Tri-Valley and into Tracy. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

See Also:

• Grass Fire Burning East of Livermore Grows to 2,500 Acres, 5 Percent Contained

Photo credit Brian Gross; Map courtesy Google Maps; Video embed courtesy KTVU.

By City news contributed to this report.