SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — Volunteers are now being recruited for the season to serve as fire lookouts on Miami Mountain. Miami Mountain is a lookout tower located northwest of Nippinawasee and is staffed throughout the fire season by Forest Service Volunteers. The tower is a great asset to our mountain community because it is situated in a prime location and ...

MARIPOSA – Recent rains and warm sunshine have fueled vegetation growth, which fuels wildfires. With fire season fast approaching, failing to manage vegetation around your home can create hazardous conditions. While firefighters are busy performing fire prevention projects and training for this upcoming fire season, it’s critical that residents do their part to prepare for wildfires by maintaining their 100 ...

MADERA COUNTY — Members of the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary handed over a hefty check to the County this morning for the purchase of a new Type 6 fire engine to be put into service at Station 11. The citizens of the North Fork, Wishon, O’Neals and Bass Lake area have always been extremely generous in their support ...

RAYMOND — A escaped control burn north of Raymond this morning is a reminder that the recent snows have not brought enough moisture to prevent the unintended spread of fire as residents burn debris piles. As of noon today, firefighters are at scene of an escaped control burn in the Raymond area just off Road 600. Just after 11 a.m. ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — Prescribed burning operations have been started along Forest Road 5s12 east of Ponderosa Basin up to Sonny Meadows. These are piles of road hazard trees felled and piled over the last year, says SNF Battalion Chief Burt Stalter. “We have approx 200 acres of burn piles to complete around the west side of Sonny Meadows and ...

MARIPOSA — Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU) has announced that the burn permit requirement in Mariposa County has been lifted as of Monday, Jan. 22, at 8 a.m. Open burning will be allowed on “Permissive Burn Days” as established by Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District, without a Cal Fire burn permit. Permits are still required in Madera County. MMU would ...

OAKHURST — Firefighters were called out just after 5 a.m. this morning for reports of a structure fire in the 38000 block of Golden Ball Drive just off Road 426. The first engine at scene reported heavy smoke and flames on one end of the single-story, 1500 square foot home. The two residents were asleep when the fire broke out, ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — Prescribed burning operations have resumed on the Ponderosa fuelbreak east of Cascadel Point near North Fork. Smoke has been visible for the last few days. “We still have a fair amount of acreage of tree mortality burn piles to finish up, and have a contract burn crew with a Forest Service representative on scene each day ...

COARSEGOLD — Firefighters battled a structure fire in the pouring rain this evening on Comstock Drive in Coarsegold. Just after 8 p.m., reports came in of a trailer on fire at the very end of the cul-de-sac. The first engine on scene reported a 500 square foot trailer about 50 percent involved, with no other structures immediately threatened. By 9 ...

NORTH FORK — The fire on Mammoth Pool Road, about 6 miles east of North Fork, is now 100 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. The fire started just after 2:30 p.m. today, and forced the closure of the roadway. The Mammoth Fire is estimated at about five acres, and crews are still on scene. Firefighters continue to strengthen containment ...