JACKSON, California (AP) – Evacuation orders were extended Tuesday to remote communities in California near a forest fire that could have been caused by fireworks or a barbecue on July 4 in a mountainous region that is one of the main tourist destinations.
The Electra fire in the Sierra Nevada Gold Country erupted Monday afternoon and tripled to about 6.1 square miles (15.8 square kilometers). It was 5% content Tuesday night.
Firefighters said the fire was making short trips and climbs.
“The spread rate isn’t what it was yesterday, but it’s still spreading,” Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman said. He said firefighters were working to keep the flames confined to the depopulated areas of the canyon.
Mandatory evacuation orders and combined warnings affected up to 700 residents in Amador County and 300 to 400 people in Calaveras County, Redman said. Evacuation centers were set up for people and animals.
The fire started in a crowded recreation area, forcing between 85 and 100 people vacationing on a river to take refuge in a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. facility, Redman said. Subsequently, all were evacuated safely.
“That was the closest I’ve been to a fire. It was literally at our feet,” said Milka Mikula of Valley Springs, who had gone to the river with her husband, her 5-year-old daughter and his 1-year-old son.
They had to wait about six hours before they could finally start heading home, he told KCRA-TV.
“I just wanted to get home. I just wanted to get out of there with my babies. I shivered very, very badly for quite some time,” Mikula said.
Redman said the cause of the fire was not known, but that it started in the Vox Beach area of the North Fork Mokelumne River. He said this could suggest fireworks or a barbecue as a potential cause.
More than 100 fire engines, 1,200 firefighters and 14 helicopters were sent to the fire, which was a threat to electrical infrastructure, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The terrain was described as steep and rugged.
Cal Fire activated a fire incident management team. The teams “are staffed by trained personnel who offer operational management and support for large-scale expanding incidents,” Cal Fire said.
A local fire protection district firefighter suffered burn injuries, Redman said.
Vox Beach is located about 55 miles (89 kilometers) east of Sacramento, in the heart of the Sierra Nevada region, full of the history of the mid-19th century gold rush.
Several other small fires were burning in the state.