NORTH FORK — Several fires in the last few years, including the Courtney Fire (2014), Railroad Fire (2017), and Mission Fire (2017), posed significant risks to public health and safety and destroyed homes and infrastructure. In many cases, defensible space and thinned areas made the difference in preventing further high severity fire and economic loss. The Madera Strategic Wildfire Mitigation ...

SACRAMENTO  – Cal Fire investigators have determined the cause of four wildfires in Northern California last October that destroyed hundreds of homes and charred thousands of acres. “After extensive and thorough investigations, investigators have determined that four wildfires in last year’s October Fire Siege were caused by trees coming into contact with power lines,” said Cal Fire in a statement ...

CALIFORNIA — As strong winds remain in the forecast near the fires burning in Northern California, crews continue the grim task of locating and identifying those who perished in the flames. The death toll has now risen to 31 across 4 fires, and officials expect that number to climb as hundreds are still unaccounted for. Overnight firefighters continued their battle ...

CALIFORNIA — As more than 8,000 firefighters continue to battle 21 wildfires across the state, the death toll continues to rise. Four fires in northern California have claimed 23 lives as of 9 a.m. today. Hundreds more people are still reported as missing, as officials attempt to account for those individuals. Thousands remain without power, and more than 20,000 people ...

CALIFORNIA — Firefighters continue to battle nearly two dozen wildfires across the state as more people are evacuated from their homes and officials attempt to locate hundreds of persons reported as missing. Overnight fire conditions were very active on several fronts, forcing additional evacuations across Northern California. There are now 22 large wildfires actively burning, that have charred nearly 170,000 ...

CALIFORNIA — Anyone who thought fire season might be over need look no further than Napa/ Sonoma County area to have that notion dispelled. Overnight, significant winds fanned over a dozen fires across Northern California. Fifteen new wind-whipped wildfires in eight counties have already burned over 73,000 acres in the past 12 hours, says Cal Fire. Firefighters have been challenged ...

YOSEMITE — The huge plume of smoke seen from all around the mountain area yesterday was due to a major increase in fire activity on the northwest and southeast portions of the Empire Fire in Yosemite. The fire is moving towards the Glacier Point Road, spotting out ahead of itself up to ¼ of a mile. That prompted the closing ...

OAKHURST – “As residents of this county we’ve been gambling that nobody in our public safety ranks would lose their life in the line of duty, and we can’t keep going on like we’ve been going.” These are the sentiments expressed by firefighters and sheriff’s deputies as they gathered today at the old Blockbuster in Oakhurst before heading out to ...

When a firefighter gets an assignment, he or she often leaves behind a family who keeps the home fires burning in a good way. Such is the case with Erin and Michael Capuchino of Oakhurst. Both in their thirties, Erin and Michael have been married since 2002; for the last three years, Michael has been a wildland firefighter. The Capuchinos have three ...

OAKHURST — The term “fire season” seems to have replaced the word “summer” in the local lexicon, and as the days grow warmer area residents may want to make note of a special event happening locally that should serve to alleviate some stress. Mountain Area Merchants Association (MAMA) invites the community to a day designed to spread the word about ...