California Wildfire Destroys 45 Structures

MARIPOSA, Calif. (AP) — A blaze burning in foothills west of Yosemite National Park destroyed dozens of structures and forced thousands to flee Gold Rush-era towns but fire crews have been able to stop it from reaching a threatened community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The fire on Thursday was threatening about 1,500 homes and other buildings, after already destroying 45 structures. It's not clear what type of buildings burned. The flames are near Highway 49, a historical route winding through Sierra Nevada foothills dotted with little towns that drew gold miners to California in the 1800s. More than 3,000 firefighters are battling the 5-day-old blaze that has scorched 109 square miles (282 square kilometers), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The fire is 10 percent contained. The fire has forced almost 5,000 people from homes in and around a half-dozen small communities, officials said. Heavy smoke hung in the air over Mariposa, a town of 2,000 people with century-old wooden buildings, including what's touted as the oldest active courthouse west of the Rocky Mountains. The fire got within a half-mile of Mariposa but crews have been able to keep it out of the town, fire spokesman Jason Motta "Most of the town of Mariposa has not been affected by anything other than the smoke," Motta said. At its closest, the blaze was still about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from the boundary of Yosemite, where campgrounds are open, park spokes...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Operations Source Type: news