NORTH FORK — Residents on Willow Creek Drive have just been through a week of threats from the rising waters of Willow Creek, but this evening the threat was from fire. Just after 7:30 p.m., reports came in that a man had built up a pile of debris on his porch and lit it on fire. According to neighbors, they ...

MADERA COUNTY — The Madera Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services is happy to announce that all evacuation warnings for Madera County related to the recent flood activity are officially lifted. North Fork residents were advised to be prepared to evacuate on Sunday evening, Jan. 8, and in the early hours of Monday morning, a mandatory evacuation order was sent out ...

NORTH FORK — With the mandatory evacuation order lifted for the North Fork area, the Sierra National Forest (SNF) Bass Lake Ranger District office is expected to resume normal operations Tuesday, Jan. 17. The office will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 16. The District Office and several residential areas in North Fork ...

YOSEMITE — The El Portal Road (Highway 140) into Yosemite National Park has reopened to all vehicular traffic, with delays. The road is open one lane, with controlled traffic, and visitors are asked to not stop along the road en route to Yosemite Valley. The road may close again at any time in the event of hazardous driving conditions. The ...

COARSEGOLD — A handful of teenagers have fortunately survived a river adventure that ended in a cold water rescue. At approximately 6 p.m., emergency crews were dispatched to reports of four teens in the water after an incident in the Fresno River just off Road 400, about one-quarter mile south of Yosemite Springs Parkway. According to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, ...

NORTH FORK — Residents in North Fork who have been evacuated since Monday due to rising water levels in Willow Creek are now being allowed to return home. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office is lifting the mandatory evacuation order for Church Street and the Bass Lake Mobile Home Park. County agencies have been out to evaluate homes impacted by the ...

EL PORTAL — The El Portal Road (Highway 140) into Yosemite National Park is closed again today to all traffic following a rockfall, according to YNP. The Big Oak Flat Road is temporarily closed due to plowing operations. The Badger Pass road is closed, temporarily, as well. Highway 140 was closed in the same area on January 10, and subsequently reopened, ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Delays on Highway 41 around the Broken Bit in Coarsegold this morning had drivers waiting up to an hour, reportedly, for tree work in the area. We checked in with Caltrans spokesman Cory Burkarth who gave us the answers commuters may be looking for regarding the massive hazard tree removal project that’s expected to continue for quite some ...

YOSEMITE — The El Portal Road (Highway 140) into Yosemite National Park has reopened to all vehicular traffic. according to park officials. The road is open and clear, yet visitors are asked to not stop along the road en route to Yosemite Valley. The road may close again at any time in the event of hazardous driving conditions. The Hetch ...

MADERA COUNTY — Madera County District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler announced Tuesday he has reconsidered and will run for re-election in the June, 2018 primary election. Wheeler, who has served two years of his third four-year term, announced in November 2016 that he would not seek a fourth term, due to health reasons. After fighting some health issues and seeing ...