Wildfire zooms to 1,000 acres near Copperopolis ahead of red flag warning for California

A wildfire broke out in Calaveras County on Tuesday evening after a red flag warning indicating high fire danger was issued for much of Northern California’s Sacramento Valley.

The Walker Fire began around 5:45 p.m. near 12005 Walker Trail Road, a hilly and rural area about 10 miles north of Copperopolis, the nearest major community. The fire is burning about 10 miles west of Angels Camp and 55 miles southeast of Sacramento.

It was first reported by Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras unit as being 10 acres wide, but conditions in Northern California were primed for fast fire growth, and an hour later it expanded to 1,000 acres.

Cal Fire described the fire’s rate of growth as a “critical rate of spread.”

The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office issued a red flag warning beginning at 11 p.m. Tuesday for strong winds and low daytime humidity through Thursday evening. Gusts in the Valley could reach as high as 35 mph.

The NWS said that northwest winds in the area were pushing the fire along.

The American Red Cross of California said it was also monitoring the fire for potential evacuation response.

As of 7 p.m. there was no containment on the fire and the cause was still under investigation.

Reports of smoke clouds from the Walker Fire could be seen as far as Sacramento.

This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 7:19 PM.