UPDATE 7:50 P.M.: State fire officials say a huge wildfire in foothills west of Yosemite has now destroyed 50 homes and 49 other structures.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire protection confirmed the new destruction near the Gold Rush town of Mariposa late Thursday.
The blaze has also damaged 11 homes and five other structures.
It was not clear whether the homes were newly burned or just newly discovered as firefighters work on the blaze that started Sunday.
Evacuation Orders: South County Mt Bullion Ridge Rd from HWY 49N to HWY 140 and ALL feeder roads, Old Toll Rd between Corbett Creek Rd and HWY 49N including Corbett Creek Rd., Mt Gaines Rd to No.9 Road including No.9 Road; HWY 140 from Hornitos Rd. to Hwy 49-S and ALL feeder roads on both sides, Yaqui Gulch Rd. from HWY 140 to Old HWY and ALL feeder roads on both sides, Old HWY to School House Rd. and ALL feeder roads on both sides, Buckeye Rd. to Ben Hur Rd. and ALL feeder roads on both sides, Ben Hur Rd. from Buckeye Rd. to Hwy 49-S, all of Mariposa Town, HWY 140 from 49-N to East Whitlock Rd. and ALL feeder roads, East Whitlock Rd from HWY 140 to Mosher Rd. and All feeder roads to the West, Hornitos Rd. from HWY 140 to Mount Gaines Rd. and ALL feeder roads on both side (This includes the community of Whispering Oak), West Whitlock from 49-N to Mosher Rd. and ALL feeder roads on both sides. Colorado Rd. from E. Whitlock to Rancheria Creek Rd. and ALL feeder roads. Rancheria Creek Rd, ALL of Sherlock Rd, ALL of Telegraph Rd, Bull Creek Rd from Greeley Hill Rd to the Merced River, Old Yosemite Rd to the Five Corners intersection and River Rd from Briceburg to Northfork Falls. Evacuation Orders-North County HWY 49-N from Schilling Rd. to Oakridge Rd. and ALL feeder roads, HWY 132 from HWY 49-N to Windy Point, the town of Coulterville, Dogtown Rd. from Greeley Hill Rd. to Texas Hill Rd., ALL of Texas Hill Rd., Schilling Rd from HWY 49-N to Texas Hill Rd ,Greeley Hill Rd. from Dogtown Rd. (Coulterville) to Dogtown Rd. near Bowers Cave. All roads between Greeley Hill Rd and Texas Hill Rd.
Evacuation Orders: North County HWY 49N from Schilling Rd. to Oakridge Rd. and ALL feeder roads, HWY 132 from HWY 49N to Windy Point, the town of Coulterville, Dogtown Rd. from Greeley Hill Rd. to Texas Hill Rd., ALL of Texas Hill Rd., Schilling Rd from HWY 49N to Texas Hill Rd.,Greeley Hill Rd. from Dogtown Rd. (Coulterville) to Dogtown Rd. near Bowers Cave. All roads between Greeley Hill Rd and Texas Hill Rd.
Evacuation Advisories NORTH COUNTY: HWY 49N from Oakridge Rd. to the County Line. All roads north of Greeley Hill Rd. to the Mariposa County line, to include Dexter Rd., Cueno Rd., Smith Station Rd. to HWY 120 and ALL feeder roads, Buck Meadows Rd. north of Greeley Hill Rd. to HWY 120, Old Yosemite Rd and Bull Creek Rd.
SOUTH COUNTY: Hwy 49-S from Ben Hur Rd to Indian Peak Rd and ALL feeder roads, Ashworth to Silver Lane and ALL feeder roads, Silver Bar to Ashworth and ALL feeder roads, Indian Peak to Oak Grove Rd and ALL feeder roads, Oak Grove Rd from Miwuk Rd to Oak Grove School Rd and ALL feeder roads, Allred Rd from 49S to Morningstar Lane and ALL feeder roads, Morningstar Lane to Carlton Rd and ALL feeder roads, Carlton Rd to Silva Rd and ALL feeder roads, Silva Rd to Hwy 49 South and ALL feeder roads, Bear Valley Rd- All homes from Exchequer Rd to Hornitos Rd, Hornitos Town Area, HWY 140 from Briceburg to E. Whitlock, Colorado Rd from HWY 140 to Rancheria Creek Rd., Oak Rd and Yosemite Oak Rd.
Evacuation Shelters:
- EV Free Church, 50443 School Rd, Oakhurst, CA
- Sierra Vista Presbyterian, 39696 HWY 41, Oakhurst, CA
- Cesar Chavez Middle School, 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada, CA
- Mountain Christian Center 40299 HWY 49, Oakhurst , CA
- Sonora Fairgrounds, 220 Southgate, Sonora, CA North Fork
- Ranchera Community Center, 56900 Kunigib Rd, North Fork, CA 93643
Small animals: Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church at 39616 Hwy 41, Oakhurst, CA.; Cesar Chavez Middle School at 161 Plainsburg Road, Planada, CA. (559)-433-9663; Sonora Fairgrounds at 220 Southgate Rd, Sonora, CA., Oakhurst Community Center, 39800 Fresno Flats Rd, Oakhurst, CA 93644
Large animals: Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds, 44777 Rodeo Grounds Ln, Coarsegold, CA. (559)-994-2794; Horsemen Association, 499 Nevada St, Merced, CA (209)-354-9437
Mariposa County Sheriff's Office Evacation and Road Closure Updates via Nixle
More information here.
UPDATE 7:50 P.M.: State fire officials say a huge wildfire in foothills west of Yosemite has now destroyed 50 homes and 49 other structures.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire protection confirmed the new destruction near the Gold Rush town of Mariposa late Thursday.
The blaze has also damaged 11 homes and five other structures.
It was not clear whether the homes were newly burned or just newly discovered as firefighters work on the blaze that started Sunday.
The fire's size has not significantly changed, remaining at about 69,760 acres with 10 percent containment.
UPDATE 3:25 P.M.: There will be a community meeting for the Detwiler Fire at the Merced Theatre in Merced Thursday at 7 p.m.
UPDATE 1:53 P.M.: The Detwiler Fire continues to burn north of the Merced River southeast of the town of Coulterville.
"We are continuing to be challenged up on the north side of the fire where there's no real good access and there is some steep, nasty terrain," said Mark Brown, Deputy Operations Section Chief for CAL FIRE. "We have bulldozers, engines and fire crews doing everything they can to create the line. We also have engines in Dog Town, communities up in the north end and also scattered around Coulterville and Greeley Hill to protect those structures and those areas."
He spoke at a noon briefing at incident command in Merced. The fire is still 10 percent contained. The containment lines are primarily on the west and southwest sides.
CAL FIRE Chief Ken Pimlott said they've made good progress recently thanks in part to improved weather conditions.
"We really want to focus on protecting the community of Mariposa and Coulterville, and really get this fire as shored up as we can," Pimlott said. "Because again, you know it's summer and just in the next few days, by the weekend, be back into triple digit temperatures and lower humidities."
An estimated 5,000 people have been evacuated. There are about 250 people who have taken shelter in five Red Cross centers in neighboring counties.
Original Post: (AP) - CAL FIRE say a stubborn wildfire burning in foothills west of Yosemite National Park has now destroyed 45 structures while forcing an estimated 5,000 people from their homes.
It's not clear what type of buildings burned.
The fire grew overnight and has scorched 70,096 acres and is now 10 percent contained.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said more than 3,000 firefighters are battling the 5-day-old blaze that was threatening about 1,500 homes and other buildings.
The flames are near Highway 49, a historical route in the western Sierra Nevada dotted with towns that sprouted when gold miners were drawn to California in the 1800s.
Evacuations are still in effect.
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