OAKHURST–Most people had already snuggled into bed for the night when cellphones starting ringing and pinging, alerting people to a vegetation fire on Deadwood Mountain just outside of Oakhurst. Early reports put the fire near the lookout tower on top of the mountain. Then people started reporting there were multiple fires. Some said 3, others up to 8. Firefighters from the CALFIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit flooded the area looking for the best access to get to the fires.
Jennifer Olsen posted this on a local Facebook group-
This was from Golden Chain Theatre moments after we called it in. I called it in at 10:36 pm. I was the first caller on it.
At approximately 11:15 pm firefighters made it to the first fire, reporting that it was 1/4 of an acre in size. Their radio traffic indicated they were still trying to locate 2 more fires. Shortly after, they located a 2nd fire that was approximately 1 acre in size. They also reported over the radio that there were 2 more fires, making a total of 4. By 11:30 pm firefighters were reporting a total of 5 fires. The 3rd fire being 3 acres, the 4th fire 1 acre, and the 5th fire 1/4 acre.
View of the fires from the AlertCalifornia wildfire camera located on the top of Deadwood Mountain at 11:02 pm.
At midnight, the incident commander called the dispatch center over the radio reporting there were 5 fires that had burned 25 acres in total and 2 recreational vehicles. He also said it would be “pretty extensive until they gained any containment.” Throughout the night, firefighters continued to arrive on scene including multiple ground units, water tenders, a bulldozer, and prevention officers.
Firefighters battled the numerous fires all night long. Flares ups and spot fires were encountered as well. As the sun started to rise, people posted pictures on social media again of the mountain showing little to no smoke remaining. Some even said they almost felt like it was all a dream.
According to the CALFIRE website there are a total of 7 fires being run under 1 incident called the “Lookout Fire”. The fires are still 25 acres and are now 20% contained.
