MADERA COUNTY – This afternoon, under the direction of Sheriff John Anderson, the Madera County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) issued an emergency evacuation notice to those who live or vacation in Arnold Meadow.
With large embers spotting out ahead of the French Fire, conditions required the mandatory evacuation, and a notice was issued through MC-Alert.
There were roughly 11 to 15 residents in the community of about 50 homes, all of whom left willingly, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. There are approximately 50 homes in Arnold Meadow, which is located in the Sierra National Forest between Lower Chiquito and the Minarets Work Station, where a spike camp has been set up for firefighters working the northern perimeter of the French Fire.
Madera County Sheriff’s deputies made certain that all residents were made aware of the mandatory evacuation notice, and advised them that a shelter had been established at the Oakhurst Community Center by Madera OES and American Red Cross.
A Strike Team (5 engines) has been assigned to that area for structure defense.
The French Fire serves as a reminder to everyone who lives year-round or part-time anywhere in Madera County, to register for MCAlert. If you have not already signed up to receive emergency alerts, you are urged to do so now. The process is easy. Just log onto MCAlert.org
You can follow the Sheriff’s latest posts and information on both Facebook facebook.com/MaderaSheriff and Twitter: twitter.com/MaderaSheriff
