OAKHURST — Eastern Madera County’s Relay for Life organizers are excited to announce plans for their 2017 event, The Relay for Life will take place on Saturday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Oak Creek Intermediate School in Oakhurst. The theme this year is “Musicals.” “Partnering with the American Cancer Society, our local community of volunteers ...

COARSEGOLD — A fire burning at the edge of Yosemite Lakes Park near the dam at Black Hawk Lake has been contained. Just before 4 p.m., as mop-up was being completed at the Garnet Fire on Road 400, firefighters were dispatched to the end of Patrick Avenue for another vegetation fire. A resident who was out for a run along ...

COARSEGOLD — “Just because it’s a burn day doesn’t mean it’s safe to burn.” It’s a warning given often by fire officials, but not necessarily heeded by residents. Firefighters responded today to yet another escaped burn pile, this one just outside Yosemite Lakes Park on Road 400 near Garnet Creek Lane. At about 2:20 p.m., crews were dispatched to the ...

CENTRAL SIERRA – The last thing you want to do while working to protect your home from wildfire is to cause one, or to be billed for suppression efforts made necessary by negligent actions, and unintended consequences. During the dry fire-prone months, mountain area residents are extra diligent in keeping the dry weeds cut and under control in an effort ...

MADERA COUNTY — YARTS buses will start rolling up Highway 41 to Yosemite National Park starting Monday, May 15, thanks to funding from the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) and the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS). Now that YARTS has resumed service on the busy corridor, residents and visitors alike will be able to access round-trip public transportation to and ...

O’NEALS — Firefighters responded shortly after noon today to a vehicle fire on Highway 41, a quarter-mile north of Road 200. At 12:44 p.m. reports came in of a vehicle on fire, parked on the shoulder of the northbound lane. Cal Fire Engine 4295 and Madera County Fire Engine 8 responded and reported the vehicle fully engulfed when they arrived at ...

COARSEGOLD — An early-morning crash snarled traffic today on Highway 41 after a Fresno man rolled his SUV near Black Hawk Lodge. According to CHP, the 32-year-old male was southbound on Highway 41 just south of Yosemite Springs Parkway in a Nissan SUV. The accident occurred at approximately 6:10 a.m., when the driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. He then traveled across ...

COARSEGOLD — A burn pile that escaped the control of a homeowner today in Yosemite Lakes Park, sparked a vegetation fire in a neighborhood on Glacier Court. At 12:10 p.m. firefighters were called out to reports of a grass fire threatening several homes in an area just off Yosemite Springs Parkway. Cal Fire Engines 4255, 4294 and 4295 responded, along with ...

CENTRAL SIERRA – In light of the disastrous tree mortality and the profusion of vegetation (fuel!) after the winter rains, it is imperative for all people who live or work in Madera County – especially those in the foothills – to register or update their information for emergency contact. Madera County’s Emergency Alert System, also known as MCAlert, allows residents ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Oakhurst CPR owner Kevin Stafford seems destined to provide service to the public, and he was just a young man still in his teens when the idea of how he would do that began to take form. Kevin stepped foot into the medical field at just 17 years old, when he took a first responder course in Boot ...