UPDATE 9:22 p.m.: CAL FIRE says the Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County has grown to 25,000 acres and remains at 5 percent contained.
UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: CAL FIRE said the Detwiler Fire is expected to reach the edge of the town of Mariposa by 7 p.m.
On the north side of the fire, it has jumped the Merced River. On the south side it is threatening to cut off one of the evacuation routes.
"Hundreds of fire engines, Type-1 fire engines that have come in from all over the state to provide structure defense for the numerous homes that are threatened," CAL FIRE spokesman Koby Johns said of the response to the fire. "We have hand crews that are scratching line in the dirt trying to get containment line around this fire. You know, we are throwing everything that we have available at this fire and we're asking for more."
The community meeting set to take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday night has been canceled according to CAL FIRE.
Evacuation and road closure information here.
Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada
UPDATE 4:06 P.M: California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County.
UPDATE 3:10 P.M: The town of Mariposa is under evacuation order as the Detwiler Fire continues to move east toward town. Highway 140 south of town is closed and the evacuation center has been moved. Crews are reporting the fire has jumped two key roads that were also serving as fire breaks west of town.
Crews have been dispatched to an address an "immediate need" at Agua Fria Road and Highway 49.
Another key area is the Yaqui Gulch area, where the fire has jumped the fire line.
The fire is also advancing to the northeast of town toward Mount Bullion, which is where some of the county's cell towers are located. The eastern part of the mountain burned in the 2008 Telegraph Fire.
Mariposa County High School is the staging area for fire crews. A community meeting about the fire was scheduled for 6 p.m. there Tuesday evening.
The evacuation center has been moved to the Oakhurst Evangelical Free Church, which is 30 miles to the east of town.
A Red Cross shelter has also been established in Planada, which is 30 miles to the south. However, Highway 140 has been closed at the south end of town.
UPDATE 12:50 P.M.: The Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County has grown to 19,600 acres and is 5 percent contained.
New evacuations are in place Tuesday and an evacuation center is set up at Mariposa Elementary School.
ORIGINAL: (AP) - The Detwiler Fire burning in central California has grown, threatening several hundred structures.
Firefighters are battling the blaze near Lake McClure, a reservoir about 50 miles east of Modesto.
The fire has scorched 15,500 acres since Sunday afternoon. It is now five percent contained.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the fire is being fueled by hot weather, heavy brush and tall grass.
Officials have ordered evacuations for an unknown number of homes. The fire has destroyed one structure and damaged another.
No one has been reported injured.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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