Wildfire burns near Madera County residential area
UPDATE: The pre-evacuation was called off around 9 p.m., when Madera County Fire Department said the fire was 75% contained and about 550 acres in size.
The Madera County Fire Department issued a pre-evacuation advisory Thursday evening for those in the area of Avenue 16 and Road 36, which includes the Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos area, due to a wildfire.
The wildfire that burned mostly grassland started around 1:15 p.m., according to Madera County Fire. The department issued its advisory about 6:30 p.m. when the wildfire was at about 500 acres.
Batallion Chief Chris Trindade said firefighters were making progress and no structures appeared to be threatened.
Nonetheless, the fire department suggested residents monitor the situation and be prepared to take action immediately, and to not wait for an evacuation order to leave if one is feeling threatened.
The wildfire had been classified as severe and its urgency as immediate.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 6:50 PM.