Fire Sweeps Stanislaus Forest; Threat to Rural Towns Eased
A stubborn wildfire sweeping through the Stanislaus National Forest on Saturday charred more than 2,500 acres and threatened several communities in the Tuolumne Canyon before firefighters managed to curb the stubborn blaze.
The fire was reported 50% contained by late Saturday but, before the danger had passed, 5,000 people in the Mother Lode communities of Mi-Wuk Village, Sugar Pine and Sierra Village spent hours preparing to flee the small resort towns if necessary.
Hampered by gusting winds, about 3,200 firefighters from 15 federal, state and local agencies along with an armada of air tankers and fire-fighting vehicles were busily keeping the fire from the Tuolumne River Canyon.
“They expect containment by early (Sunday) morning,” said Joan Leidenthal, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. “Right now, it looks pretty good.”
The fire, which investigators believe may have been arson, started Thursday in the Riverside campground on the north fork of the Tuolumne River. At one point, 400 people who live in a subdivision southeast of the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Twain Harte were evacuated when flames crept to within 100 yards of homes in that rural community. They were allowed to return to their homes Saturday.
No structures were destroyed in the fire, Leidenthal said. Fire officials reported three minor injuries that were treted at the fire camps.
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