Evacuation lifted for Smalley Fire in Madera County; warning remains

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted on Tuesday morning for areas affect by the Smalley Fire in Madera County, though an evacuation waning remains in place.

The fire, which started on Memorial Day grew from 10 acres to 45 acres.

It is now 35% contained, according to Cal Fire.

An evacuation warning is in effect for all addresses within a half-mile of 28445 Road 222, all homes on Corrine Lake Road, all homes on and within a half-mile of Box Canyon Road, and all areas within a one-mile radius of 28445 Road 222, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office said.

Evacuation orders had been in place near Kerckhoff Lake

Under the evacuation warning, there is a potential threat to life and property. Those in the area should monitor the situation, be prepared to take action immediately and should not wait for an evacuation order if you feel threatened.

Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now, the sheriff’s office said.

Labeled the Smalley Fire on Cal Fire’s incident page, it was defined as burning in an area near Road 222 and Tunoi Place south of the town of North Fork. Forty acres had burned as of an 8:14 p.m. update, with no part of the fire contained.

North Fork was part of the 2020 Creek Fire zone, a blaze that wound up the largest single fire in recent California history. It burned 379,895 acres and 853 structures after it broke out in early September and wasn’t considered fully contained until Christmas Eve.

There was no word on how many homes or other structures were in danger. The cause likely remained under investigation.

“Take action immediately,” the evacuation order stated. “If you’re in need of evacuation assistance, call 911.”

The Red Cross set up a temporary evacuation point at the Oakhurst Community Center, 39800 Road 425B.

“Disaster workers are available to provide assistance for those displaced, including emergency lodging, water, snacks and more,” the Red Cross said in a tweet.

The first evacuation order issued by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office was for those within a half-mile radius of 28445 Road 222. It was initially a lower-level warning, indicating a “potential threat to life and property,” but upgraded by 6:24 p.m. to mandatory status.

The Sheriff’s Office also stated those in need of assistance can call 559-675-7770.

A couple of hours earlier, the Slope Fire was reported off Trimmer Springs and Sunnyslope roads near Pine Flat Lake in Fresno County. That fire was at 30 acres and 20% containment as of 6:56 p.m.

California’s 2020 fire season was the largest in state history, according to Cal Fire, with nearly 10,000 fires burning more than 4.2 million acres, more than 4% of the state’s roughly 100 million acres of land.

The 2021 season is shaping up as potentially worse, with dry conditions exacerbated by another year of drought. Already, Cal Fire figures show, there have been 2,165 incidents that have left 15,458 acres burned with what are usually the worst conditions still months away.

Memorial Day weekend also led into two days of excessive heat warnings, lasting until Tuesday night.

Fresno’s high Monday was 101 degrees, nearly 15 degrees above normal for this time of year.

Temperatures on Tuesday again “may tie or break daily records for maximum temperatures ever measured in Fresno, Hanford, Merced, and Madera on June 1st,” according to the National Weather Service office in Hanford.

This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Evacuation lifted for Smalley Fire in Madera County; warning remains."