NORTH FORK – It was a full house for a Town Hall meeting this afternoon as fire officials shared the latest updates on the Willow Fire, and answered questions from residents. Incident Commander David Cooper and his team hosted the meeting, explaining the firing operation currently underway, and making educated predictions on when evacuated residents might be allowed to return ...

NORTH FORK – Crews made good progress on the Willow Fire overnight, holding and strengthening existing lines and continuing burnout operations. The fire is now estimated at 5,116 acres and is 50 percent contained. Crews continued firing along the southeastern flank throughout the night, removing fuels that threaten the fireline protecting the Cascadel Woods area. While the winds were mostly ...

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 COUNTY – The man accused of causing the death of a young boy on Bass Lake on June 27, and causing traumatic injuries to a teenage girl in the same jet ski incident, will soon be formally arraigned on charges including misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter. Phat Chau, 55, is expected to appear in Madera Superior Court at Bass Lake on ...

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 ...