NORTH FORK – Firing operations along control lines continued throughout the day on the Willow Fire, as crews worked to burn out fuels inside the southeastern perimeter. At this writing, there has been no updated size since the last estimate of 4,394 acres, but the fire is now reported at 40 percent containment. Heavy smoke took a while to lift ...

SACRAMENTO – With wildfires burning across the state being continually exacerbated by severe drought conditions and extreme weather, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today declared a state of emergency in California to help mobilize additional firefighting and disaster response resources. “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” said Governor Brown. “Our courageous ...

NORTH FORK –  Incident personnel from the Willow Fire will be hosting a community meeting Saturday, Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. at the North Fork Town Hall, located at 33060 Rd 228. Incident Managers will be talking about current and expected fire behavior, evacuation status and addressing other concerns the community may have due to the Willow Fire. Representatives from ...

NORTH FORK – Firefighters got a break over the last 24 hours with cloud cover, higher humidity recovery and even a very small amount of rain overnight. The Willow Fire is now estimated at 4,394 acres with 30 percent containment. Resources continue to roll in to the Incident Command Post, boosting the number of personnel assigned to the incident to ...

NORTH FORK – A bit of cloud cover this afternoon over the Willow Fire slowed fire activity enough for crews to make good progress on the day shift, and hold some crucial lines, especially on the north. There has been no update from this morning’s 3,383 acres with 30 percent containment, but there will be new numbers after this evening’s ...

NORTH FORK – As residents in the Cascadel Woods and Douglas Ranger Station areas move out following this morning’s mandatory evacuation notice, firefighters have been rolling in. Their job is to go to each home and prepare it to be defended in the event that the Willow Fire does come through. Firefighters are moving flammable debris away from homes including ...

MADERA – Due to the expanding acreage and uncertain nature of the Willow Fire, Madera County District Attorney David Linn has announced that formal charges will not be filed this week as his office may not receive official reports from the US Forest Service until sometime next week. Formal charges will not be filed until all reports have been received ...

OAKHURST — The American Red Cross of the Central Valley has opened a shelter to assist residents affected by the ongoing Willow Fire at the Oakhurst Community Center, 39800 Road 425B. The Red Cross previously established an evacuation center in response to the Willow Fire, but because of new mandatory evacuations for the Cascadel Woods community, volunteers have set up ...

NORTH FORK – Due to increased fire activity on the Willow Fire, a mandatory evacuation order has been issued for the Cascadel Woods community. This evacuation order includes all residences off of Cascadel Road (Road 233), Mission Drive, Peckinpah Acres Drive and Cascadel Woods subdivision. The Douglas Ranger Station Road mandatory evacuation has been expanded to include the remainder of ...

NORTH FORK – The Willow Fire ran another half-mile to the south in the last 24 hours, continuing it’s push across Peckinpah Mountain, and running to the east toward Whiskey Falls. The fire stayed mostly to the top of the mountain, and didn’t come down the slope. There was also a fairly healthy run on the northern perimeter in the ...