MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, July 23, to Sunday, July 29, 2018. Oakhurst theft of backhoe bucket On Monday, July 23, at 9:26 a.m., a deputy was dispatched to the area of Highway CA-41 and Road 426 for a report of a theft of a backhoe bucket ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite Valley is being evacuated of all non-essential personnel and residents as the Ferguson Fire continues its push to the east. According to park officials, the evacuation is due to limited road access to and from Yosemite Valley as firefighters are working along the roadways, and multiple hazards along El Portal Road, Big Oak Flat Road and Wawona ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire is now estimated at 73,560 acres with 41 percent containment. Ferguson Fire Unified Commanders, the U.S. Forest Service and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, will host a community meeting to discuss the current fire situation on Friday, Aug. 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Mountain Christian Center, located at 40299 Highway 49 ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Huge columns of smoke have been visible the last two days over the Ferguson Fire as the high pressure system weakens and the inversion lifts earlier in the day. The fire is now estimated at 69,440 acres and is 41 percent contained. Damage assessment teams have been able to get into some of the burn areas of ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – When the Ferguson Fire was first reported just before sundown on Friday, July 13, initial estimates by the first units at scene reported it at about 100 acres. It was burning in extremely steep terrain through very dry fuels, and the Sierra National Forest is ground zero for tree mortality. Within 24 hours it had grown to ...

BASS LAKE – Donald Eaves, the former manager of Yosemite Bank in Oakhurst appeared in Bass Lake Superior Court today and was sentenced to 180 days behind bars and 5 years probation for embezzling money from his employer. Eaves, 53, was arrested on May 15 and charged with 32 counts of grand theft and embezzlement for stealing $115,500 over a ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY –  The Ferguson Fire grew by 5,727 acres overnight and is now estimated at 68,610 acres with 39 percent containment. Officials are reporting this morning that a spot fire on the north has resulted in the closure of Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) because of smoke and congestion from firefighting vehicles and equipment. The road is closed ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire is now estimated at 63,798 acres with 39 percent containment. The fire grew by 915 acres today. Just before 6 p.m., several spot fires outside the lines on the southeast corner, and falling embers, prompted the evacuation of the community of Wawona inside Yosemite National Park. Officials say the evacuation was precautionary. At 7 p.m., ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Ferguson Fire is now estimated at 62,883 acres and is 39 percent contained. On the eastern perimeter inside Yosemite National Park, crews advanced tactical firing south along Wawona Road (Highway 41) toward Wawona Campground. On the south, firefighters conducting firing operations east from Crow Peak along the Chowchilla Mountain Road, toward Wawona Campground. On the north ...

CALIFORNIA – Today there are nearly 13,000 firefighters on the lines of 16 large wildfires burning across California. To date, these fires have burned over 320,000 acres and damaged or destroyed over 1,600 structures. Some 17,000 homes continue to be threatened by these fires, and more than 32,000 residents have been evacuated. The Carr Fire is now the sixth most ...