Squaw Valley wildfire destroys three homes, burns 50 acres

A wildfire destroyed three homes and a shed in rural eastern Fresno County and burned about 50 acres.

The Silver Fire was 40 percent contained by Thursday morning, Cal Fire/Fresno County Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Michaels said. All evacuations and road closures had been lifted.

Sherry Cummings, a volunteer firefighter at Mountain Valley Fire Department, said one of her friends lost a home and several puppies.

“This fire, I feel like crying,” Cummings said. “… He kept saying, ‘I only got my one dog.’ ”

Flames were reported just after 4 p.m. in the backyard of a home on the 1000 block of Silver Lane, just east of Elwood Road, and spread up a nearby hill.

Forward motion was stopped Wednesday night, Michaels said, but the combination of embers and wind – which gusted at 20-25 mph earlier in the day – kept firefighters on their toes.

As always, the battalion chief said, it is important for people to maintain defensible space around their homes by clearing away vegetation.

Road closures affected Silver, Fulgham, Marlar, Elwood and Olive lanes, with evacuations in those areas, but Highway 180 remained open. Wednesday night, Michaels didn’t have the number of residents affected.

Evacuation warnings were in place for residents on Lelyer, Erwin, Crane and Ackers lanes.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. crews were called in to fix downed power lines.

The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. An emergency shelter was established at the rodeo grounds in Squaw Valley. About 200 fire personnel were called up to fight the fire and there were no reported injuries.

This story was originally published October 11, 2017 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Squaw Valley wildfire destroys three homes, burns 50 acres."