Firefighters halt progress of wildfire that forced evacuations in Tuolumne County
Firefighters were able to stop the forward progress of a 20-acre wildfire that prompted evacuations in the Sierra Nevada foothills, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials.
The brush fire forced multiple evacuation orders near Sonora and Jamestown in Tuolumne County late Thursday, which remained in place Friday morning, officials said.
More than a mile of roadways remains closed at the junction of Highway 108 and Stockton Street, and even more communities are under evacuation warnings or face potential power outages from planned shutoffs, according to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.
CalFire officials said firefighters would continue to battle the blaze by air and on the ground Friday. There have been no confirmed reports of structure damage.
The sheriff’s office said the fire broke out near Camp Hope, which is near Jamestown and Sonora.
Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for North Drive, Fairway, Outlook Drive, Martha Lane, Golden Dove, Silver Pine, Circle Lane, Alley Drive, Chabroullian Lane, Constance Lane, Mountain Vista Court and part of Golf Links Road, deputies said.
California officials have extended a Flex Alert into Friday, and triple-digit heat at a fire near Castaic forced officials to pull back some firefighters on the front lines.
The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Posse at 19130 Rawhide Drive in Jamestown. An animal shelter is open at 10040 Victoria Way, according to the sheriff’s office.
Alarming pictures posted to Twitter showed the blaze burning close to a small town.
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