Elderly couple tries to recover from losing home in Corral Fire; Cal Fire warns residents to be careful
The couple who lost their home now has to deal with the charred mess left behind.
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Fire crews have made progress fighting the Corral Fire near Tracy in San Joaquin County.
The fire burned 14,000 acres, and containment is now at 85%.
But with triple digits expected this week and a dry north wind coming, firefighters are on alert, and they warn residents to pay attention too.
The couple who lost their home now has to deal with the charred mess left behind.
"They saw it coming," said Travis Curtiss, their son. "They weren't aware of how fast it was moving."
Curtiss said his older parents, grabbed their two dogs and turtle when the sheriff knocked on their door with evacuation orders on Saturday.
"As they were pulling out, they could see the barn was going up," he said.
The fire burned through the field behind the Curtiss' property and then made contact with the barn. It caught fire and flames and then spread through the rest of the property.
"The wind just pushed all the embers over and carried it through the house," Curtiss said.
"When the wind comes along, it can kick up embers and blow them over the containment line, which you never want. That's why we are still here," said Cal Fire spokesperson Cecile Juliette.
She said Cal Fire has pulled back some resources, but crews are still working to catch the hot spots, especially before the 100-degree temperatures arrive this week.
Cal Fire is concerned another fire could start and warns people to be careful, not careless.
Don't discard a lit cigarette or mow your lawn this week, she urged.
"We have the power to control how this wildfire season will go and how the summer will go," she said.
The cause of the Corral fire has yet to be discovered.
Now Stevan and Chris Curtiss have to figure out how to move on at this stage in their lives.
"Nobody wants to see their parents in this kind of a situation," said Travis Curtiss. "Nobody wants to see their parents, technically homeless right now, and at 75 and 84 years old, it's heartbreaking."
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