Reposted from District 3 Supervisor Rick Farinelli’s website – As Madera County enters its fourth year of drought, fire danger is at an all time high, particularly in our rural mountain communities. The county contracts its fire services with CAL FIRE. Currently, there are 16 fire stations across the county staffed by 30 paid personnel, 8 seasonal paid personnel, and ...

OAKHURST – An Oakhurst woman was arrested for Driving Under the Influence after a head-on collision on Highway 41 yesterday morning in which four people were injured, according to the CHP. Sherry Lynn Abraugh Getchell, 40, crashed head-on into Debra Essary, of Coarsegold, just after 7 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, about two miles south of Oakhurst. She was reportedly ...

COARSEGOLD – A man taken into custody after being pulled over by a CHP officer in Yosemite Lakes Park earlier today is not Jason Derek Brown, according to the CHP. The man was pulled over when his vehicle was spotted in the area, and matched the description of a car that was reportedly being driven by Brown, who is wanted ...

OAKHURST – A CHP officer has taken a man into custody who fits the description of Jason Derek Brown, who is wanted for murder and armed robbery, and is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. At 12:09 p.m. an Oakhurst Area CHP officer spotted a vehicle that fit the description of a 1996 Nissan Maxima reported on a “Be ...

OAKHURST – A man reported missing this morning has been found according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff and Madera County Search and Rescue asked for the public’s help earlier today in locating Donald MacAlpine, 83, who was last seen on Friday at his residence off of Road 426. Family members became alarmed when they arrived to check ...

OAKHURST – A head-on collision snarled traffic over Deadwood this morning and sent several people to the hospital, one with serious injuries. Just after 7 a.m., Sherry Lynn Abraugh Getchell, 40, of Oakhurst was southbound on Highway 41 just north of Road 425B near the top of Deadwood in a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. According to CHP, she was driving in ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Firelines are holding on the Rough Fire as interior fuels continue to burn out, crews are demobilized, and rehabilitation and repair becomes the order of the day. The Rough Fire is now estimated at 151,493 acres with 85 percent containment. There are currently 651 personnel assigned to the incident, including 9 crews, 26 engines, 4 helicopters, ...

MADERA COUNTY – A man who collided with a cow on Highway 41 last night was subsequently taken into custody for Driving Under the Influence. Just after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, William Cox, 35, of Fresno, was southbound on Highway 41 just south of Road 207, in a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, when he struck a black cow that ...

Written by John Nichols, Public Information Officer, Rough Fire – The Rough Fire has been burning for almost two months in rugged and diverse terrain on the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests and the Kings Canyon National Park. The fire started July 31 from a lightning strike. In the ensuing weeks, the fire grew to over 151,000 acres and at ...

MADERA COUNTY – The two Coarsegold teens charged with starting the Sundance Fire, that burned 13 acres along Road 420 on Sept. 13, appeared in court on Wednesday for a detention hearing. Both boys, ages 13 and 14, were ordered to be placed under strict house arrest with electronic monitoring, are only allowed to go to and from school under ...