Oak Fire update: Crews get first containment as wildfire burns almost 17,000 acres
Fire crews got perhaps their first break on the fast-spreading Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park, as firefighters had zero containment before the latest update Monday morning.
The blaze that has burned 16,791 acres since it started Friday is 10% contained, Cal Fire said in a Monday morning update. It’s the biggest wildfire in California this year
“Fire activity was not as extreme as it has been in previous days,” Cal Fire said in the update. “Firefighters made good headway today.”
The fire in the Sierra National Forest near Midpines on Highway 140 and Carstens Road passed Sweetwater Ridge and “made a hard push” toward the community of Mariposa Pines, Cal Fire said.
Federal grant funding OK’d
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that FEMA approved additional grant funding to fight the fire on Saturday.
“Our hearts go out to the people who have been impacted by these extreme weather conditions, including those who may have lost their homes or businesses to what has become California’s biggest fire so far this summer,” Jean-Pierre said.
“It is clear that the impacts of extreme weather are intensifying across the country,” she added.
Oak Fire evacuations
The Oak Fire has destroyed seven structures and populated areas have been evacuated of about 3,800 residents, according to Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office. Officials had originally said 10 structures were destroyed.
More than 3,200 structures are considered threatened, Cal Fire said. Nearly 2,100 firefighters are involved in the effort.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday.
Oak Fire emergency shelter
Officials are using Mariposa Elementary School as the emergency shelter for people and small animals, and large animals can be taken to the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.
Small animals can also go to the Mariposa SPCA and large animals to the Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds.
For a full list of road closures, evacuation orders and evacuation warnings, go to Cal Fire’s website.
The information line is 844-668-3473.
‘That’s a pretty big fire’ .... and a sudden evacuation
Robert Cooper, an Oak Fire evacuee, told The Fresno Bee on Saturday that the area near the fire is mainly home to retired people. He said it’s a nice area with a couple of lakes, including one right behind his home.
“It would be devastating if it jumps through there,” he said. “Last night we were sitting outside, looking in the distance, and seeing this big ball of flames, and we were thinking ... ‘Boy, you know, that’s a pretty big fire.’ And then all of the sudden it started getting closer and closer.”
Soon after that, Cooper and his wife had to evacuate their home.
Unprecedented fire behavior
Justin McComb, Cal Fire team 5 operations section chief, said the blaze “quickly outflanked” firefighters on the first day, saying they were unable to attack it with the resources on hand. “In my career I haven’t seen fire behavior like that,” McComb said.
McComb said on Sunday firefighters did have some success getting a line around the southern edge of the fire, using “dozers, everything we could” to stop the wildfire from spreading south.
“That was a win for me,” he said.
Van Loben Sels said the growth of the fire was “pretty amazing,” particularly given how quickly resources were sent there, and “how quickly the state supported the incident with all the aircraft across the board, from the very large air tankers that you guys see out there to the helicopters. We really threw everything at this thing from the beginning.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Full containment is not expected until at least July 30, according to Cal Fire.
Mariposa County offices reduce access
Governmental offices for the County of Mariposa will operate on restricted access within many departments for an undetermined length of time, a move the county says is to help focus resources on firefighting and relief efforts.
The closures affect public walk-ins. Many departments have no restrictions.
“Please be advised that Mariposa County has closed several offices due to the Oak Fire,” a statement posted Sunday on the county website stated. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we know it is essential that we do our part to support our community and staff.
“Please note that essential services such as law enforcement, fire, utilities, road maintenance, and public health services continue. We encourage our residents to take advantage of our many online services and visit county department web pages for more information.”
For a full list of the closures and the options available to still contact the agencies as needed, visit mariposacounty.org/55/Changes-to-Public-Services.
Bee staff and Danielle Battaglia of the McClatchy Washington Bureau contributed to this report.
