Sierra Nevada Fire Levels 7 Homes, Routs Residents

A wind-whipped fire charred thousands of acres Friday in the Sierra Nevada mountains, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of scores of residents.

U.S. 50, the highway between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, was closed for 10 hours after the blaze burned about 630 acres, destroyed seven homes, damaged three more and forced about 120 residents of the tiny El Dorado County community of Camino to flee, authorities said. A mobile home and two smaller structures also were destroyed.

The highway was reopened to traffic by early afternoon.

The blaze, which investigators said was “artificially ignited,” began shortly after 3 a.m. in rugged terrain about 60 miles east of Sacramento, about a mile from Camino, said Elaine Heal, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry.

By midday, about 180 firefighters had achieved “shaky containment with a fragile line around” the blaze, said state Forestry Department spokesman Walter Nutting.

About 120 people had been evacuated from the area, said El Dorado County Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Ayers.

Mono County Blaze

Meanwhile, in Mono County, about 340 firefighters battled a large fire in the Owens River area that had blackened 4,100 acres by Friday, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ray Schaaf.

The fire, which threatened some homes in its early stages on Thursday, is on the east side of Highway 395, about 15 miles from Mammoth Lakes.

The fire was about 70% contained Friday morning, and firefighters hoped to have it fully contained during the night, Schaaf said.

He said the blaze was believed to have been caused by blasting on private land.

Elsewhere, firefighters who had worked overnight contained another wildfire near Sherwin Summit on Highway 395, about 20 miles north of Bishop.

The blaze, which covered 180 acres, was believed to have been caused by arson, Schaaf said. No structures were damaged.