North Fork evacuations ordered as brush fire nears

A full-scale evacuation is in progress in the North Fork area where a fire that started Thursday night re-ignited Friday and headed toward the foothill community.

“We are in full-blown evacuation mode,” said Maryann McGovran, tribal chairman of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.

The fire re-sparked, she said, from its origination point near Corrine Lake. She said the fire was approaching the community. About three dozen people were at an evacuation center about 2 p.m. Friday.

Residents are being evacuated to the North Fork Rancheria community center. The evacuation center is for all residents in the area, McGovran said.

Madera County Division Chief Ron Eldridge said air attack planes are trying to stop a spot fire that is headed toward North Fork.

The 15-acre spot fire is part of the Corrine fire that spread ahead of the main portion of the fire, he said.

The spot fire is in an open area about a mile ahead of the rest of the fire, which is now about 1,000 acres, he said. It has destroyed three outbuildings.

Containment, which was at 20% in the morning, fell to 5%, Eldridge said.

He said the fire took off early in the morning because of drier-than-normal conditions.

There are 10 strike teams on the fire (five engines each) and 10 more on the way, Eldridge said.

Evacuations are in place for communities near North Fork, and an evacuation advisory has been issued for Cascadel Woods, Eldridge said.

“The next three or four hours are going to be critical,” he said about 3 p.m.

Supervisor Tom Wheeler said the fire was about one mile from North Fork. Five strike teams, 25 engines, were ordered to the blaze.

He said residents were being evacuated from Road 225, Road 222 and Road 235.

The Corrine fire was just one of several blazes that firefighters were contending with in Madera County.

A brush fire in the mountains six miles above Oakhurst caused by a vehicle fire grew to 538 acres, and campgrounds were evacuated as firefighters attempt to gain an upper hand on the blaze.

The Sky fire on the east side of Highway 41 was burning along Calvin Crest Road and onto U.S. Forest Service land, Eldridge said.

Firefighters have successfully built a perimeter around the blaze, but there is still potential for the fire to break through, said Raj Singh, public information officer for the South Central Sierra Interagency Incident Management Team.

The burned area has reached 600 acres and is 30% contained.

Singh said the overnight team’s main job is to ensure the fire doesn’t break through the man-made perimeter. He said the crew that will take on the fire in the morning was getting some sleep after a grueling shift that saw some working up to 24 hours to fight the fire.

There are 650 personnel on scene to fight the fire. There have been no injuries reported and no buildings damaged in the Sky fire.

Sierra National Forest officials said the fire has the potential to grow to as large as 1,000 acres in the next couple days and is a threat to 300 to 400 homes.

The fire has led to campground evacuations at Calvin Crest, Soquel and Greys Mountain, Lt. Bill Ward of the Madera County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. And the Forest Service said Friday that Camp Redwood and Paradise Spring are in danger.

The community of Cedar Valley, which has about 75 homes, was under an evacuation advisory, Eldridge said.

Jessica Piffero from Central Valley Red Cross said the shelter at Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church in Oakhurst is holding steady at about 70 people coming and going. They have room for more than 100.

On Friday evening, The American Red Cross of the Central Valley opened a second shelter for Oakhurst and North Fork residents impacted by the Sky and Corrine fires.

The new shelter is at the Oakhurst EV Free Church at 50443 School Road.

Red Cross volunteers are providing lodging, meals and hygiene kits. Most of the people in the Sierra Vista shelter are employees from the nearby Calvin Crest camp.

“Red Cross staff and volunteers continue to meet the growing needs of these two wildfires,” said executive director Barry Falke. “We continue to urge all residents in affected areas to adhere immediately to evacuation orders from local enforcement.”

The Central California Animal Disaster Team is also on site at both shelters to provide lodging, food, water and comfort for domestic pets.

For those that want to help, the best way is to make a donation to www.redcross.org.

Bill Ekhardt, a spokesman for Calvin Crest, said the camp has not been damaged, but staff are working on contingency plans in case Calvin Crest is still evacuated when campers start showing up Sunday.

He is also working to try to get a change of clothes for his counselors. Many are here from out of state and didn’t bring their wardrobe when evacuated.

Ruby Alvarez said she has lived in the Oakhurst area since she was 5. “When I was young, I was used to seeing more snow than fires,” she recalled. “Now, we only get fires.”

She said she was evacuated last year, and her employer, Form Fitness in Oakhurst, also had to close during evacuations. She stayed at Chukchansi Resort and Casino during last year’s evacuations and isn’t sure where she would go this year.

She said she was scared. She had a friend who lost her home in the Courtney fire, and her dad is the executive chef at the Narrow Gauge Inn restaurant in Fish Camp. He can see smoke and may have to close down.

Crystal Irwin, who has lived in Oakhurst for four years, said she was worried about the smoke affecting her lungs. She got a pre-evacuation notice last year in the Junction fire.

But she realizes the threat of wildfire comes with living in the mountains. “I will take fire risks over drive-by shootings,” she said.

Irwin said it was too early in the fire season for such a big blaze and was worried about “three more months of this.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2015 at 2:58 PM with the headline "North Fork evacuations ordered as brush fire nears."