CENTRAL SIERRA – With the ominous threat of the Detwiler Fire, attention to wildland firefighting has been heightened for many residents in the foothills and mountain area. We all see the engines, dozers, water tenders and crews rolling in to fight these fires, but perhaps the most spectacular sight from any vantage point the public may have is the work ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Detwiler Fire, now over 45,000 acres, is making a run toward Coulterville and Greeley Hill. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has just issued an evacuation order for the following areas: Greeley Hill Road from Dogtown Road in Coulterville to Dogtown Road near Bowers Cave in Greeley Hill All roads between Greeley Hill Road and Texas Hill ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — As firefighters prepare for another hard day on the firelines, the residents of Mariposa are holding their breath. Overnight, the fire nearly doubled in size to 45,724 acres with just 7 percent containment, and continues its relentless advance on the historic town. More than 1,500 homes are threatened, 8 have been destroyed and 1 damaged. There are currently ...

O’NEALS — Firefighters responded to a vegetation fire in O’Neals up behind the Ponderosa Telephone Company this morning. Just before 8:30 a.m., reports came in of a fire off Road 200 near Lilly Mine Way. The first unit at scene reported the fire at about five acres, burning in open grass land with a moderate rate of spread. Nine engines, ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Firefighters worked throughout the night to slow the progress of the Detwiler Fire, now estimated at 45,724 acres with just 7 percent containment. More than 10,000 people are currently without power, and thousands have been evacuated. Firefighters are focusing their efforts on protecting the town of Mariposa. The fire has jumped the Merced River near the Bagby ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Detwiler Fire made a major run today, forcing residents from their homes and prompting the evacuation of the town of Mariposa. It also challenged fire officials as aircraft were called away to other fires in the region, and there never seemed to be enough resources to get the job done, despite their best efforts. The fire ...

MARIPOSA — With fire officials struggling for enough resources to adequately fight the Detwiler Fire now threatening Mariposa, one may wonder why there aren’t more VLATs (Very Large Air Tankers) available to knock this thing down. On July 17, CBSNews posted the following story about a massive firefighting aircraft  — a converted Boeing 747 jet, nicknamed the SuperTanker — and ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The community meeting scheduled for tonight on the Detwiler Fire has been postponed. We will update when a new time has been set. Here are the latest updates on Evacuation Orders. These are in addition to those already issued: Buckeye Road to Ben Bur Road, and Ben Hur Road to Highway 49S Old Highway from Yaqui Gulch to ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The fire that started in a fairly remote area near Lake McClure has now forced the evacuation of thousands of residents in its relentless march to the south and east. More evacuations have just been ordered on Old Highway near Yaqui Gulch. Just after noon today, the town of Mariposa was evacuated, after the Detwiler Fire grew ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Detwiler Fire is now estimated at 19,500 acres with 5 percent containment. At about 12:30 p.m., the town of Mariposa was evacuated, and the Red Cross shelter is being moved to Caesar Chavez Junior High, 161 S. Plainsburg Road in Planada. There is also a shelter in Oakhurst at the EV Free Church at the end of ...