Fork Fire is at least 4th wildfire in a week in Madera-Fresno foothills. Here’s the latest
At least four new wildfires have broken out since the start September in the foothills and mountains east of Fresno and Madera, according to Cal Fire.
The region has been spared so far this year of a huge fire like the 380,000-acre Creek Fire in 2020, but the smaller ones still have Cal Fire firefighters working on suppression.
Fork Fire
The newest significant fire began Wednesday afternoon near North Fork, Cal Fire said. The Fork Fire burned about 773 acres overnight and was just 5% contained as of Thursday morning.
Its proximity to about 400 structures, including homes, led the Madera County Sheriff’s Office to issue evacuation orders.
The blaze started near where Road 222 and North Fork Road meet south of the community of North Fork.
Power Fire
Four firefighters were treated for heat-related injuries fighting the Power Fire in Fresno County, a Cal Fire said.
The wildfire, located about 10 miles south of the Fork Fire area and north of Auberry, was 130 acres and 65% contained on Thursday morning, Cal Fire said. The cause of the fire that began about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday is still under investigation.
No evacuations have been ordered there though there were warnings. The areas impacted included Powerhouse Road from a quarter mile north of Wish I Ah Road to the Fresno-Madera county line. The north, east, and west borders are the San Joaquin River.
Goat and Nutmeg fires
The Goat and Nutmeg fires were relatively small, each at 5 acres or less.
A wildfire started Saturday morning on Goat Mountain at Bass Lake before being quickly contained by Cal Fire.
The Goat Fire was reported about 8:35 a.m. on the Sierra National Forest land. It’s not clear what started it.
To the east of the Bass Lake/North Fork area, the Nutmeg Fire broke out Friday afternoon in Blue Canyon, southeast of Shaver Lake, and sent U.S. Forest Service fire crews scrambling to the area with heavy equipment.
The fire response team covered the perimeter with fire retardant early on in the blaze, officials said.
Both of those fires have been contained.
