Oak Fire live updates: How overnight firefight went; community meeting set and more
The Oak Fire has spread across 14,281 acres with 0% containment as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The wildfire, burning since Friday afternoon in Mariposa County, has displaced approximately 6,000 people amid mandatory evacuation orders. Ten structures have been destroyed and almost 2,700 are threatened.
A community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday at Mariposa County High School.
The fire was active throughout the night and is moving toward several communities: Jerseydale, Darrah and Bootjack.
There was low humidity overnight, and the weather on Sunday was expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5% and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts, according to Cal Fire.
“High tree mortality and dense fuels are throughout the fire area,” Cal Fire said in its Sunday morning update. “Fire evacuation and advisories remain in effect.”
Assessment of areas impacted by the fire are underway by damage inspection teams, Cal Fire said.
There are multiple evacuation orders and fire advisories in effect. Mariposa Elementary School, located at 5044 Jones St., is being used as an evacuation center. Several road closures near highways 140 and 49S remain in effect, according to Cal Fire.
As of early Sunday, there were 51 crews battling the fire, 17 helicopters, 225 engines, 58 dozers and a total of 2,093 personnel, according to Cal Fire.
Mariposa County Fire, PG&E, the California Highway Patrol, Bureau of Land Management, Mariposa County Public Works, North Fork Rancheria and the Red Cross are cooperating in the fire efforts.
On Saturday evening, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County as the fire destroyed homes and threatened other structures.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
‘That’s a pretty big fire’ .... and a sudden evacuation
Robert Cooper, an Oak Fire evacuee told The Fresno Bee on Saturday that the area near the fire is mainly home to retired people. He said it’s a nice area with a couple of lakes, including one right behind his home.
“It would be devastating if it jumps through there,” he said. “Last night we were sitting outside, looking in the distance, and seeing this big ball of flames, and we were thinking ... ‘Boy, you know, that’s a pretty big fire.’ And then all of the sudden it started getting closer and closer.”
Soon after that, Cooper and his wife had to evacuate their home.
Updated evacuation orders, road closures
As of Sunday afternoon, these are the areas impacted by evacuation orders near the wildfire, according to Cal Fire.
- Carsten Road from Morningstar to Silva Road including all side roads
Buckingham Mountain Road
Plumbar Creek Road
Triangle Road from Highway 140 to Darrah, Jerseydale and all side roads
Lushmeadows Subdivision
Triangle Road from Darrah Road to Westfall Road and all side roads
Boyer Road from Highway 49S and all side roads,
Darrah Road from Highway 49S to Triangle Road, including all side roads
Triangle Road from 49S to Westfall Road and all side roads including Triangle Park, Tip Top Road, Wass Road, Westfall from Triangle to Oliver Creek
Silva Road from Carlton to Highway 49S including all side roads
Shaffer Road from Silva Road to Allred Road
Ginger Trish Road
Cole Road to Darrah Road, including all side roads
McNally Road
Highway 49S from Darrah Road to Triangle Road (east side only)
Woodland Drive
Brooks Road
Carlton from Triangle to Morningstar Lane
Morningstar from Carlton to Allred Road, including all side roads
Indian Rock Lane
Allred from 140 to Morningstar
Westside of Highway 140 from Triangle Road to Allred Road.
Highway 49S from Silva to Darrah Road (on the Bootjack Market Side) Use Carlton/Silva Road to Highway 49S to evacuate
Highway 140 from Triangle Road to Ponderosa Way (on the Midpines Market side of Highway 140)
Ponderosa Way from Highway 140 to Feliciana Mountain Road and all side roads
Sweetwater Ridge / Mine area
Feliciana Mountain Road
Ferguson / Apperson Mine Road area
Savage Lundy Trail
Hites Cove Road
Footman Ridge area
Devils Gulch area
As of early Sunday, these are the road closures near the wildfire area, according to Cal Fire.
- Highway 140 from Highway 49N to Ponderosa Way
- Carstens Road
- Triangle Road from Highway 140 to Highway 49 and all side roads
- Jerseydale Road
- Silva Road from Cole Road to Triangle Road
- Wass Road
- Tip Top Road
- Darrah at 49
- Westfall from Triangle to Oliver Creek
- McNally Road
- Woodland Drive
- Brooks Road
- Bootjack Lane
- Cole Road
- Carlton from Triangle to Morningstar
- Allred from Highway 140 to Morningstar
- Morningstar from Carlton to Allred including all side roads
Watching the new ‘Wheeler Fire’
Another wildfire broke out Sunday, about 20 miles from the Oak Fire. This one, labeled the Wheeler Fire, had burned about 10 acres as of mid-afternoon.
The fire started at 2:35 p.m. and was in the area of Highway 49 and Oak Ridge Road, about 25 miles northwest of Mariposa.
According to Flight Radar, two helicopters were assigned to the small blaze at 3:30 p.m.
Jonathan Pierce, a Cal Fire spokesman working mostly on the Oak Fire, confirmed the fire was burning north of Highway 49, with firefighting personnel already on scene.
Going to Yosemite National Park? What you need to know
Hector Vasquez, a spokesman with Cal Fire, said there was “zero impact” from the Oak Fire on Yosemite National Park on Sunday. At this point, it’s difficult to say if that could change.
The Oak Fire, he said, is relatively far from the national park. Vasquez said there were no road closures leading to Yosemite.
But park visitors should have masks in hand.
Bill South, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, said the transport winds — the winds in the layer of the atmosphere — will be taking the smoke from the southwest to the northeast.
“The smoke will move to the northeast over Yosemite National Park this afternoon due to these southwest winds,” he said.
The smoke will move over the park on Sunday and Monday afternoon, he said.
“The best type of precaution would be to wear some type of mask to keep the particulates out your your lungs ... as the smoke should be relatively thick,” he said.
South said the best advice he would provide would be for people not to be outdoors, but he recognizes that it could be difficult since “there’s people traveling from all over the world to go to the park.”
“So I would say a strong mask and that’s really about all you can do, and if you feel like it’s affecting your breathing, than go inside or leave the park,” he said.
Generally, he said, if there’s no storm system, the winds will transition to a down-slope direction at night, and that down-slope wind will push the smoke into the Sierra Nevada foothills of Mariposa and Madera counties.
There is also ash impact on the ground in areas close to the Oak Fire, Vasquez said.
Mariposa County offices reduce access
Governmental offices for the County of Mariposa will operate on restricted access within many departments for an undetermined length of time, a move the county says is to help focus resources on firefighting and relief efforts.
The closures affect public walk-ins. Many departments have no restrictions.
“Please be advised that Mariposa County has closed several offices due to the Oak Fire,” a statement posted Sunday on the county website stated. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we know it is essential that we do our part to support our community and staff.
“Please note that essential services such as law enforcement, fire, utilities, road maintenance, and public health services continue. We encourage our residents to take advantage of our many online services and visit county department web pages for more information.”
For a full list of the closures and the options available to still contact the agencies as needed, visit mariposacounty.org/55/Changes-to-Public-Services.
This story was originally published July 24, 2022 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Oak Fire live updates: How overnight firefight went; community meeting set and more."
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