Creek Fire roars toward mountain resort towns, after airlift rescues hundreds trapped by flames

More than 200 people were saved from a Madera County resort area in a harrowing rescue operation that stretched into Sunday as a fast-growing fire burned through the Sierra National Forest, exploding from several hundred acres to more than 45,000.

Popular recreation spots, including Shaver and Huntington lakes, came under evacuation orders just as they began filling up for the Labor Day holiday weekend as the Creek Fire drew the combined response of more than 450 personnel from a half dozen or more agencies.

Cal Fire, Fresno County Fire, Fresno and Madera county sheriff’s offices, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol were among those deployed, with 25 engines, three air tankers and two helicopters also involved.

The blaze started Friday near Big Creek and Huntington Lake in Fresno County and on Saturday crossed the San Joaquin River to the east and made a run into the Mammoth Pool area in Madera County.

It was burning on both sides of the river in steep, rugged terrain, where crews also were dealing with a heat wave that drove highs in excess of 100 degrees. More danger loomed: Thunder, and with it the possibility of new fires driven by lightning strikes, could be heard Sunday afternoon at Shaver Lake.

By noon, the fire was reported to be at the Shaver Lake Dam, about 5 miles from the center of the community, according to Steve McQuillan, a volunteer firefighter.

There was still 0% containment, according to Cal Fire officials. The cause was not known.

“Clearly there are a lot more firefighters that are needed up here just because of how quickly the fire is moving,” said Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, who represents areas in the eastern part of the county, including Big Creek, Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake.

“Because the wind conditions up here are strong, with just the huge temperatures on the Valley floor, the winds pick up very quickly ... and so the fire will move in different directions. It will move north and east, but then it will quickly move south and west. The goal is evacuation, getting people out and saving as many people as possible. The secondary goal, of course, is to protect structures and individuals’ personal property.”

Shaver appeared to be a ghost town, except for a few vehicles streaming down to lower elevations , as sheriff’s deputies and firefighters drove through the area, knocking on doors to make sure residents were evacuating.

“People are listening,” said McQuillan, who has lived in Shaver since 2013, and has never seen anything like the scene Sunday morning.

The few leaving were fueling up at a gas station still operating through a generator.

“Bless their hearts,” said McQuillan of the owners, for leaving the credit card pumps on.

He added that the sky appeared to be clearing a little. But that might be a bad sign: Winds might be picking up.

“When smoke sits on the fire, it kind of dies down; the fire can’t breathe as well. Generally up here, we have winds in the late afternoon.”

The Shell Station in the community of Prather was a flurry of activity Sunday morning as campers and residents near Shaver and Huntington lakes gassed up before heading to safety.

Mammoth Pool Reservoir rescue

Hundreds in the Mammoth Pool Reservoir area of Madera County were not as fortunate Saturday, trapped as flames cut off any escape route. People stuck there were told to shelter in place, even if that meant getting into the water to avoid the fire.

Twenty people were reported overnight Saturday to be in potentially critical condition after they were rescued from the area of the reservoir, according to the Fresno Fire Department.

Blackhawk helicopters from the California National Guard, similar to those the military uses to ferry troops around the globe, were called and more than 200 were evacuated in an operation coordinated by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The majority of the victims were flown to Fresno Yosemite International Airport, where a triage center was set up to prioritize treatment. Units from the Fresno and Clovis fire departments then were standing by to help transfer patients to local hospitals.

Seven people were sent to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno and three to Clovis Community, according to a Sunday update. At CMRC, six were listed in fair condition, with one already having been treated and released.

Clovis Community sent one of its patients to CRMC, where that person was added to those in fair condition; two others were in good condition and one had been released.

Vacation getaways disrupted

Others had less harrowing tales, but still experienced close calls.

Tony Johansson, a Bay Area resident, had been camping near Mono Hot Springs when the blaze erupted. His pickup and camper, hauling an offroad KTM motorcycle, had to negotiate a narrow, rocky and rutted one-lane road before reaching Highway 168.

It was the first time he had been to the Huntington area.

“We were caught with bad luck,” he said.

Johansson said ashes were pouring down on his campsite when he awoke Sunday morning.

Of the firefighters, he added: “They are doing an awesome job”

Todd Reeves of Tollhouse, a forest service volunteer, was gassing up his jeep.

He said he had been at Bald Mountain, where he assisted members of a four-wheel drive poker run in making it to safety.

Did everyone make it out?

“As far as I know, they did.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 3:28 PM.