NORTH FORK – A vegetation fire reported at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, off Corrine Lake Road just south of North Fork, has grown to over 200 acres, stretching already limited resources.
Evacuations have been implemented from Corrine Lake Road to the San Joaquin River. This is the fifth fire today in the mountain area.
The Madera County Sheriff’s Office has requested that Fresno CHP stop traffic at the bridge across the San Joaquin and keep anyone from coming up Road 222. The road is blocked southbound at Corrine Lake Road, which is also closed.
Deputies have been going house to house in the evacuation area, making sure everyone has been notified. They are also working to get all the people lining Road 222 to leave the area.
Multiple engines have responded and the incident commander has called for two more strike teams (a strike team is five engines). The fire is burning in steep terrain and trees can be seen torching against the night sky.
Access is challenging because Box Canyon Road, which is the point of ingress for fire resources, has only one way in and one way out, and the road is upslope from the fire.
PGE is on scene and reports that a power line is down. This may very well be the cause of the wide spread power outage in North Fork and some surrounding areas, and poses a danger to firefighters.
In the morning, air resources will be able to assist in battling the blaze.
