MADERA COUNTY — After months of rigorous training, both in the field and in the classroom, 29 new volunteers have graduated from the Madera County Search & Rescue Academy, and joined the ranks of those ready to respond. During a swearing-in ceremony at the main Sheriff’s Office in Madera on Friday, 24 graduates raised their right hand to take the ...

BASS LAKE – What was supposed to be a nice outing to the mountains for a group of four young people turned into a Search and Rescue mission near Bass Lake this afternoon. The group of two young women from Fresno, and two young men — one from Sanger and another from New York — arrived in the Angel Falls ...

OAKHURST — Firefighters got a bit of a different assignment today when they were called out to convince a deer to get out of an in-ground pool on Road 426. Those who travel along Road 426 between Oakhurst and the Llama Ranch are very aware of the large population of deer who make a habit of grazing the lawns along ...

MARIPOSA — An at-risk man missing from Mariposa since Saturday has been located and taken to the hospital, according to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office. Just after 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 26, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from the family of Mariposa resident Ronald Hughes, 74, stating that Mr. Hughes was missing. The family reported that he was ...

COARSEGOLD — During times of unthinkable tragedy, there is often someone who rushes in to help. They may go unrecognized, and sometimes they may suffer a different kind of trauma than those who have lost a loved one. The community is mourning the loss of Ruby Alvarez, a beautiful, vibrant 24-year-old mom, daughter, niece and sister, who was known by ...

YOSEMITE – The Merced River pushes past spectators with enormous gusto, as a wide area is cordoned off under the trees at Happy Isle Bridge. Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) teams are preparing to demonstrate swift water rescue techniques in order to convey a crucial message to the visiting public: stay safe out there. Click on images to enlarge. A ...

BASS LAKE — Road 274 along the northwest end of Bass Lake was closed for over a hour this afternoon as firefighters and Madera County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue (MADSAR) worked to save a fallen hiker. At about 5 p.m. reports came in that a 92-year-old Bass Lake man was on a very steep trail just south of the Willow ...

We received this wonderful story from the EMC SPCA, written by Katharine Napier-Janz, about the special dog they adopted several years ago. It’s a great testimonial to the important work done by this organization, finding forever homes for pets in need of a family to love. I want to update you on Jericho, a pup I rescued from you in ...

MADERA COUNTY — Madera Snow Search and Rescue volunteers, ‪Madera Sheriff OHV‬, ‪‎Madera County Sheriff deputies‬ and two Sierra National Forest officers conducted snow training Saturday, Jan 16. The teams trained on snowmobiles, tracked ATVs, tracked UTVs and a snow cat. Teams also conducted GPS and avalanche beacon training. Training started off at 8 a.m. and it rained on the ...

YOSEMITE — During the evening of Jan. 2, California Highway Patrol Helicopter 40 (H40) was requested by Yosemite National Park search and rescue personnel (YOSAR) to assist with a first-light hoist rescue of an injured person. The victim was 63-year-old Sue Hopley from Palo Alto, Calif., who was hiking the Nevada Falls trail. Due to ice formation on the granite, ...