Firefighters on Wednesday are continuing to battle several lightning-sparked wildfires that have prompted evacuation orders across three counties in Central California.
The three major fires forcing people to flee were the 2-2 Fire in the northern corner of Stanislaus County, the 2-7 Fire just east in Calaveras County and the 6-5 Fire in Tuolumne County. (Click the linked text to jump down to view each fire’s evacuation information.)
Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit stated that those three fires are among 10 that comprise the TCU September Lightning Complex, which has a combined burn area of more than 11,900 acres as of 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Damage in California Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp
The 6-5 Fire exploded to more than 6.400 acres burned with no containment reported as of around 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. This fire was burning on the north end of Don Pedro Reservoir, causing “a lot of destruction” to the area of the historic Chinese Camp, according to Tuolumne County District 5 Supervisor Jaron Brandon.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS Sacramento shows the Chinese Camp Cemetery caught fire. Additionally, a CBS Sacramento crew in the area captured images of burned homes and other buildings. No injuries have been reported.
According to the Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, the 2-2 Fire was first reported shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday near Highway 4 and Dunton Road, west of the town of Copperopolis in Calaveras County. The fire has burned more than 3,400 acres with zero containment, according to Cal Fire.
Around noon, authorities in Calaveras County announced the 2-7 Fire broke out near the Vallecito region off Highway 4. Traffic on the highway has not been impacted, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.
The 2-7 Fire has burned approximately 585 acres with no containment reported, according to Cal Fire’s incident page. The 2-8 Fire has also burned around 910 acres in Copperopolis along Little John Road, also with no containment.
Crews were also battling a fire dubbed the 2-3 Fire, which was first reported around 7:20 a.m. near O’Byrnes Ferry Road and Copper Cove Court southeast of Copperopolis. The fire has burned at least 20 acres.
There were a handful of other fires that burned anywhere from 2 to 40 acres in the region.
The fires started as thunderstorms rolled through much of the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Cal Fire TCU said the fires were all believed to have been started by lightning.
Evacuation orders and road closures for the 6-5 Fire
A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the north end of Don Pedro Reservoir up north to Chinese Camp, where Highway 49 and Highway 108 meet. Here is a live map showing the affected area.
Cal Fire said the Sonora Senior Center at 540 Greenley Road in Sonora is an acting evacuation shelter. Chicken Rancho Casino Resort in Jamestown said it is offering a complimentary night’s stay to evacuees with a valid ID.
Caltrans said the Highway 120 and Highway 108 divide, known as Yosemite junction, is closed due to the fire with no estimated time for reopening.
Evacuation orders for 2-7 Fire
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for the following zones:
CCU-133-B
CCU-134
CCU-134-C
CCU-134-D
CCU-134-E
Evacuation warnings are in place for the following zones:
CCU-114
CCU-115
CCU-132-A
CCU-133-C
CCU-143-B
Bret Harte High School at 364 Murphys Grade Road in Angels Camp is serving as an evacuation shelter.
Evacuation orders and road closures for 2-2 Fire
The 2-2 Fire prompted the closure of Highway 4 between Escalon Bellota Road in San Joaquin County and Telegraph Road in Calaveras County. As of 1:30 p.m., the road had reopened.
As of about 11:45 a.m., the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office announced an evacuation order for zones CCU-155 and CCU-152-A, near the Calaveras-Stanislaus county line. Deputies said the affected area includes the Diamond 20 Ranch Estates along the north side of Highway 4.
As of 3 p.m., all orders for the 2-2 Fire were no longer in place.
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