CENTRAL SIERRA – As Labor Day weekend approaches, friends and families will visit outdoor recreation areas throughout Madera, Mariposa and Merced counties. In anticipation of the increased outdoor activities, Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU) is urging everyone to exercise extreme caution in every activity. Wildfires continue to burn in California and much of the state remains at high risk for ...

NORTH FORK — Just after 3 p.m. this afternoon, crews responded to a vegetation fire reported near Manzanita Lake. A full wildland dispatch was called up, including Cal Fire, Madera County Fire, Sierra National Forest and Helicopter 520. The first engine at scene at 3:23 p.m. reported the fire at about one-quarter acre on Shinn Cabin Lane near the Siderman ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Anyone wishing to help victims of the Detwiler Fire can still do so in several ways. The Mariposa Community Foundation will be distributing cash donations to those who lost their homes. They have set up a PayPal donate button on their website at mariposacommunity.foundation/MCF. You can also mail a check to MCF and note “Detwiler Fire” on ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Suppression repair work on the Detwiler Fire has been suspended due to high fire danger. On Sunday, July 16, the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit of Cal Fire responded to the Detwiler Fire, which started in the Hunters Valley are of Mariposa County. As of Tuesday, Aug. 8, the fire is 81,826 acres and 98 percent contained. Fire crews have ...

NORTH FORK — Just before 4 p.m. today crews were called to reports of a vegetation fire burning in the vicinity of Road 225 and Lark Lane in North Fork. The first engine on scene reports the fire is about one-acre, burning in grass and brush at a moderate rate. At least one home is immediately threatened. Residents surrounding the ...

MADERA COUNTY  — Firefighters have been kept scrambling this afternoon and evening as a series of lightning fires were sparked across the valley floor and into the foothills. At this time, it appears that the forward progress of all of the nearly dozen fires has been stopped. At about 4:30 p.m., the first reports began coming in of multiple fires, ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Though the fire has long moved through the areas surrounding the town of Mariposa, the damage done by suppression efforts remains, and firefighters have now shifted into repair mode. One resident experienced first-hand today the reality that crews don’t just tear things up as they fight to save homes, they also return to repair any necessary damage. ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Firefighters worked through the night hitting hot spots and patrolling the perimeter of the nearly-contained Detwiler Fire. The fire is still holding at 81,826 acres and is now 90 percent contained. As the Detwiler Fire is winding down from active fire suppression, fire managers will start the next phase of the control effort — Fire Suppression Repair. ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Firefighters continue their work to secure the line around the remaining northeast portion of the Detwiler Fire and to hit hot spots inside the perimeter. Cal Fire posted this photo on their Twitter page, showing the shoulder patches of just a few of the dozens of fire departments and agencies who worked together on the suppression efforts. ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Crews continue to be released from the Detwiler Fire as firefighters work on hot spots and full containment of the northeast perimeter. The fire is now estimated at 81,826 acres and is 85 percent contained. There are currently 2,821 personnel assigned to the incident including 184 engines, 35 water tenders, 76 hand crews, 12 dozers, 7 helicopters ...