MARIPOSA COUNTY — Firefighters held the growth of the Ferguson Fire to just 228 acres today. The fire is now estimated at 58,074 acres and is still 33 percent contained. Officials announced earlier today that the closure of some portions of Yosemite National Park will be extended to Aug. 5. Firefighters cannot always count on being able to conduct firing ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – As crews continue their work to prepare the west side of Yosemite National Park for the approach of the Ferguson Fire, park officials have announced that the reopening of Yosemite Valley has been delay until 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3, and then with limited services (see details below). Yosemite Valley has been closed since July 25 ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – While weather conditions were conducive around much of the Ferguson Fire for crews to shore up and expand containment lines, an evening wind shift posed a potential challenge to an already challenging section of the fire. By morning, officials reported a 1,688-acre growth in the fire overnight to a total of 45,911 acres as of 6 a.m. ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Firefighters battled both the fire and the heat today as temperatures climbed toward the 100 degree mark in the canyons across the Ferguson Fire, now estimated at 44,223 acres, still with 27 percent containment. Crews took advantage of calm winds and hazy skies from a persistent inversion layer to widen containment lines through tactical firing operations. As ...

O’NEALS — A log truck driver may have saved lives today when he drove his truck off the road to avoid crashing the 70,000-pound vehicle into a line of stopped cars on Highway 41. Terry Jacobs, driving for Willis Logging Company of North Fork, had picked up a load on Sky Ranch Road (Road 632) near Calvin Crest this morning, ...

OAKHURST — A late-night Highway 41 traffic stop by local deputies and their canine companion resulted in the arrest of two suspects for narcotics possession. Just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, June 13, Madera County Sheriff’s K9 Deputy Eric Grijalva and Corporal Ty Tashiro observed a white pickup truck with no brake lights in the 40000 block of Highway 41. ...

First snowshoe adventure of the season in March? Yes indeed, and we sure weren’t going to waste anytime getting our snowshoes on that snow. We just didn’t know when Mother Nature would take that opportunity away from us. A good workout, gaining 1,000 feet in elevation in 2 1/2 miles, but we also received a wonderful surprise when we arrived ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Oct. 30  to Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. Oakhurst lost medication On Monday, Oct. 3o at 2:18 p.m. a deputy was dispatched to the 51000 block of Ponderosa Way in regards to a report of lost medication. Case to be closed. Oakhurst warrant ...

YOSEMITE — As firefighters continue to make good progress on the South Fork Fire, burning east of the community of Wawona in Yosemite National Park, more crews are being released to return to their home units. The fire is now estimated at 4,430 acres with 44 percent containment. There are currently 108 personnel assigned to the incident. Crews continue to ...

YOSEMITE — Crews continue to make good progress on the South Fork Fire near Wawona. The fire is now estimated at 4,330 acres with 44 percent containment. There are currently 304 personnel assigned to the incident, as more crews are demobilized to return to their home units. The mandatory evacuation order for Wawona has been completely lifted for residents and ...