FRESNO— During Fire Prevention Week (October 8-14), the American Red Cross Central Valley Chapter reminds everyone that cooking is the leading cause of home fires and issues safety steps to follow to help avoid one of these blazes. “The top reason for cooking fires is someone leaving the stove unattended while cooking,” said Daniela Aguilar, Regional Prevention and Preparedness Manager, ...

OAKHURST–The local American Red Cross in Oakhurst has been selected to participate in a pilot “Wildfire Assessment” program for the residents of Eastern Madera County. This program is to assess Zone Zero (0 to 5 feet from your residence). Most structures that burn during a wildfire are the result of burning embers igniting combustible vegetation and other combustibles within Zone ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES–Red Cross continues to work with the entire emergency response community across three Counties to ensure we can deploy resources, supplies and personnel to support communities affected when it’s safe to do so. Also severely impacted by road closures, power outages and their homes being snowed in, are our local volunteers who are working to diligently to clear their ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES—The American Red Cross Central Valley Region has announced they are opening two Evacuation/ Warming Centers in Mariposa and Oakhurst for the many residents that are being impacted with power outages due to the winter storms that have pummeled our communities this week. UPDATES FOR 2.28.2023 MADERA SHERIFF: Evac & Warming Center open 9a-6p Oakhurst Comm Ctr. Evac assistance ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — This Fire Prevention Week (October 9-15), the American Red Cross Central Valley Chapter urges everyone to practice their two-minute home fire escape plan and test their smoke alarms to stay safe from the nation’s most frequent disaster. Two minutes is the amount of time that fire experts say you may have to safely escape a home fire ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES–The fall season in the Motherlode area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains often brings relief in the form of cooler temperatures, shorter days and an end to fire season. For Mariposa and Eastern Madera Counties this is not the case just yet. The Fork Fire and several lightning caused fires in Yosemite National Park continue to burn in and ...

NORTH FORK-The Red Cross of the Central Valley is opening an evacuation shelter at the Oakhurst Community Center (39800  Fresno Flats Road, Oakhurst, CA 93644). A map of current evacuations is available here. Small animals can go to the Oakhurst Community Center  at 39800 Fresno Flats Rd, Oakhurst, CA 93644 and large animals can go to the Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds at 44777 Rodeo Grounds Ln, ...

MIDPINES — The Oak Fire started Friday, 7.22.2022, in the Midpines area of Mariposa County near Carstens Road and Highway 140.  Fire activity has been extreme with frequent runs, spot fires, and group torching. Emergency personnel are working to safely evacuate people and are actively engaged in protecting structures. We will update this article as more information is available. Helpful ...

COARSEGOLD — On Saturday, volunteers and members of the American Red Cross Central Valley Chapter, Madera County Fire Department and United Way of Fresno and Madera Counties installed nearly 100 free smoke alarms for families in Coarsegold as part of a national Red Cross Sound the Alarm effort to install 50,000 smoke alarms across the country this spring. “Without everyone ...