NORTH FORK – As if firefighters weren’t weary enough from this long summer of fires, they were called out this afternoon for reports of a smoke on House Ranch Road just off Road 200 between North Fork and O’Neals. It was a burn pile. Someone apparently decided that a few drops of rain had erased the danger of years of ...

Written by Roger Maybee MADERA COUNTY – Are You Ready for Wildfire? The 2015 fire season here in Eastern Madera County looks dire. The coming fire season appears to be on track to be even more severe than the 2014 season. A look to the hillsides and one can’t help but notice the dead and dying trees in the landscape. ...

OAKHURST – A Town Hall meeting in Oakhurst last Thursday was a chance for Cal Fire and Firewise Madera County to let residents know just how dire the situation is for this year’s fire season. “I would like to say that I’m not here to scare you, but it’s actually quite the opposite,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Troy Cheek. ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – From atop the mountain perch overlooking a vast expanse of green, eyes are carefully trained to spot the early tell-tale signs of forest fire. A wisp of smoke triggers a series of actions that can mean the difference between safety and catastrophe.

OAKHURST – If there’s one lesson our recent summer of fires taught us, it’s that the mountain community will rise up to support its own in the face of disaster compounded by catastrophe. On that Sunday in September when the Courtney Fire hit, 8th grader Dakota Klaproth grabbed some clothes and her backpack before the home she shared with her ...

Submitted by Kathy Thomas OAKHURST – The Old Mill Village parking lot was filled with activity on Saturday, Oct. 25, as a gigantic tag sale took place inside an otherwise empty building, with a good turnout amid much support from area residents and businesses for an important on-going cause. The Community Rummage Sale to benefit the Oakhurst Area Fire Relief ...

AHWAHNEE – The nice folks at Ahwahnee Heating and Air Conditioning have teamed up with the nice folks at The Hitching Post to offer the community a special dinner intended to help those whose homes were lost in recent fires, and to thank everyone who helped put those fires out, and to bring everyone together for a meal in the ...

OAKHURST – An arrest has been made in the case of 13 fires, believed to have been intentionally set, that burned in the Oakhurst area in the past few months. A 15-year-old Oakhurst resident was arrested on Friday, Sept. 26, when Cal Fire executed a search warrant on his home.

OAKHURST – With the stress and devastation suffered by mountain area residents during the recent fires, everyone is wanting to know how these fires started and who is responsible. As reported by SNO on Sept. 18, one individual has been identified in connection with the Courtney Fire, and another with a string of suspicious fires in the Oakhurst area.

OAKHURST – Friday evening at Miller’s landing was a testament to the way the community pulls together, as hundreds of people gathered to share and to support their neighbors after the disaster of the Courtney Fire. Saturday morning was when the dirty work really got underway in the burn area along Road 426, and once again, the community was there.