Fork Fire update: Madera County wildfire in North Fork grows, latest evacuation orders

An eastern Madera County wildfire that prompted many evacuation orders burned 400 acres and was 0% contained as of Wednesday night.

THURSDAY UPDATE: 400 homes threatened by Fork Fire, Cal Fire says

The blaze started around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Road 222 and Road 200 in North Fork, and led to evacuation orders issued by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office shortly after.

The Fork Fire was moving north and crossed Willow Creek, heading toward Road 225, said Natasha Fouts, a Cal Fire spokesperson, around 7:30 p.m.

There were no confirmed structure losses or injuries on Wednesday night from Cal Fire, but Fouts said the Fork Fire is burning in an area with lots of dead pine trees and brush, along with “quite a few homes,” including in Cascadel Woods, a community also hit by the 2020 Creek Fire.

Cal Fire estimates 400 structures are threatened by the Fork Fire.

“The fire is burning in steep, rugged country affected by tree mortality,” Cal Fire reported around 8:45 p.m., adding that “hot, dry weather,” drought conditions, and thick vegetation are influencing fire behavior.

Fouts didn’t have a firefighting personnel estimate on Wednesday night, but said equipment included a very large air tanker (VLAT), which doesn’t fly at night for safety reasons.

North Fork is southeast of Bass Lake, Oakhurst and Yosemite National Park. It’s about a 40-minute drive from the rural town to Yosemite’s south entrance along Highway 41.

The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. Firefighters don’t yet have an estimated containment date.

Evacuation orders and warnings due to Fork Fire

Madera County has evacuation orders and warnings listed on an interactive map at community.zonehaven.com.

“There is an immediate threat to life,” the sheriff’s office said Wednesday afternoon. “This is an evacuation order to leave NOW. The area is being closed to public access. Take action immediately.”

Officials said those in need of evacuation assistance should call 911.

As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff’s office reported the following areas were under evacuation orders:

• Road 225 between Road 200 and Lark Lane, south side of the road

• Willow Creek Drive

• Church Street

• Weatherly Lane

• Wakova Lane

• De Na Lane

• Tu Nobi Way

• Poy Ah Now Road

• Lark Lane

• Rainbow Drive

• Peckinpah Acres Drive

• Douglas Ranger Station Road

• Elderberry Lane

• Wild Rose Lane

• Cascadel Heights Drive

• Cascadel Drive including Cascadel Subdivision

• Road 222 from Road 200 to Carmen Ranch Road

• Road 225 between Lark Lane and Tera Tera Ranch Road

• Boulder Creek Drive

• Whiskey Pines Drive

The sheriff’s office said Cascadel residents need to exit via Cascadel Road, and that deputies are at Cascadel Road and Cascadel Heights Road to escort people out. Residents on Road 225 need to exit via Road 225 to North Fork. Deputies are in the area to escort them out.

Additionally, the following areas were under evacuation warnings:

• Road 222 between Carmen Ranch Road and the Madera/Fresno County line

• Road 225 between Tera Tera Ranch Road and Kingsman Flat Road

“There is a potential threat to life and property,” the sheriff’s office added. “Monitor the situation and be prepared to take action immediately. Don’t wait for an evacuation order to leave if you feel threatened. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.”

These roads were closed:

• Road 222 at Road 200 (222 closed)

• Road 222 at Carmen Ranch Road (Road 222 closed)

• Road 225 at Douglas Ranger Station Road (both roads closed)

• Road 225 at Lark Lane (both roads closed)

There is an evacuation shelter at the Oakhurst Community Center, 39800 Fresno Flats Road, Oakhurst, where Red Cross volunteers are providing evacuees with a place to stay, food and water, and other resources. Fouts said small animals can be taken there, and large evacuated animals can be taken to the Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds, 44777 Rodeo Grounds Lane, Coarsegold.

Fouts said evacuations included the Vipassana meditation center, Cascadel Woods, and parts of the town of North Fork, including North Fork Elementary School. She didn’t have an estimate Wednesday night regarding how far the wildfire was from the town of North Fork.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company reported hundreds of power outages throughout the foothill region on Wednesday.

People can sign up for emergency alerts from Madera County at MCAlert.org, or by texting their zip code to 888777.

Other recent wildfires

Another wildfire, the Power Fire, ignited Tuesday in the Auberry area of eastern Fresno County. That fire burned 130 acres and was 50% contained as of Wednesday night.

The last major wildfire to hit the region was the Oak Fire that burned 19,244 acres in Mariposa County during July and August. It ignited a couple weeks after another Mariposa County blaze, the Washburn Fire, that threatened Yosemite’s giant sequoias.

A couple other remote Yosemite wildfires, the Red Fire and Rodgers Fire, ignited in early August.