A ferocious wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills raged without containment Sunday, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes at the gateway to Yosemite National Park.
The Oak Fire started Friday near the town of Midpines, California, and exploded over the weekend.
Burning through dense, dry vegetation on the region’s steep and rugged hillsides, the fire was fanned by strong winds and temperatures hovering around 100F (38C). The extreme nature of the fire meant it turned tall trees into matchsticks and sent billowing black smoke curling over Mariposa’s picturesque historic downtown.
It remained at 0% containment Sunday night, despite a multi-resource firefighting effort. As of Friday, it had consumed more than 15,000 hectares. More than 3,000 people were under evacuation orders.
More than 2,000 first responders from state and federal agencies were battling the fire, attacking it from both the ground and the air. At least 10 homes and other structures had been destroyed, with thousands of people at risk in their wake.
“The growth of this fire is pretty amazing considering how quickly we had resources here,” said Chief Mike van Loben Sels of the Madera Merced Mariposa Unit of California Fire and Forestry (Cal Fire) Protection. He noted that embers and spot fires were burning more than a mile ahead of the fire. “We really threw everything at this thing from the beginning,” he said.
The fire is one of dozens burning across the American West as the region prepares for months of peak fire danger ahead. More than 5.5 million acres have already burned in the US this year, about 70% more than the 10-year average.
California, a state that has faced heightened threats from wildfires in recent years, had seen a milder-than-normal start to its highest-risk season. Spring rains provided some respite, delaying the start of what officials still fear will be another devastating fire year. The Elzina fire has shown how quickly things can change.
On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the area, allowing the deployment of thousands of emergency personnel.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Thousands of residents and visitors were ordered to evacuate after the fire broke out, some fleeing so quickly they couldn’t pack their bags. In the chaos, a local man named Ron, who declined to share his last name, left behind his medication and his dog Duke, an aging labrador with a hip.
“When he got behind, I couldn’t get anyone to help me,” Ron said, adding that he had suffered a stroke and still gets disoriented. “But this is my baby, man.”
Fire Captains Shayon Ascarie and David Jessen came to Ron’s aid and carried the man back to his evacuated hillside home as the fire approached. Helicopters zigzagged overhead and planes dropped fire retardant on the slopes above as firefighters helped Ron wrestle the terrified Duke into the back of his van and grab his pills, before of taking the duo back up the mountain to safety.
Jessen and Ascarie, who hail from different parts of California but were assigned as partners for the incident, spent the rest of the morning touring the cities to release the latest maps and answer questions for an information-hungry audience. . In addition to providing essential information, major incident fires also require rescues like Duke’s. “It’s part of the job, you’re in the right place at the right time,” Jessen said, adding, “I have a feeling this won’t be the last.”
In the city of Mariposa, people gathered around their A-frame information posts sharing stories and giving thanks for the ongoing firefighting effort. Flags flew overhead, turning what would have otherwise been a relief from a hot summer day into another ominous sign that the fire was approaching.
Further up the highway, a roadside restaurant called Steve’s Sportsman’s Café had become a de facto hub for locals, both those displaced by the fire and others watching and waiting. Outside, a motorist shared videos of his harrowing call with the fire. He saved his house, but claimed his shed, where priceless mementos had been housed: his grandfather’s fishing rods and guns. “Still, it could have been a lot worse,” he said, shaking his head as he walked into the restaurant.
From behind the cash register, Tracy Heidseck detailed how the power outages caused by the fire caused their own kind of damage. “We’ve already lost all the food in our fridge and freezers,” he said, adding that his well had also dried up and there wasn’t even water to flush the toilets. That was one part of the fire threats, which he said are high year after year, that takes its toll. “I’m exhausted,” she said. “I have no water or electricity.”
But the community, and the restaurant, have come together during this difficult time. Steve Knauf, owner of the restaurant, came over to offer his support. “There’s been a lot of hugs and tears the last few days,” she said, adding, “But it’s like a big family here.”