Fire in Mariposa County chases residents from homes

By Grace Lee
San Francisco - August 22, 2001


A wildfire in Mariposa County briefly jumped containment lines Tuesday and chased more residents from their homes before firefighters reined in the 11,500-acre blaze.

About 50 residents of several small rural neighborhoods were evacuated Tuesday as a precaution, bringing to 3,000 the number of homes that have been threatened since the suspected arson fire started Saturday.

At late Tuesday, authorities said the fire was 60 percent contained, but they estimated full containment by Saturday.

Called the Creek fire, the blaze has destroyed four homes and four outbuildings, said Sheryl Tankersley, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

For the third straight day, the fire closed Highway 120 from Moccasin to Yosemite National Park.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at the Coulterville Community Center.

Meanwhile, about 80 miles away near San Andreas in the Sierra foothills of Calaveras County, 50 people who were forced from their homes by flames sought shelter at a Red Cross center set up in a local high school, said Annette Roessler, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry.

Called the Leonard fire, it had burned 3,800 acres and threatened the homes of 300 residents, said Betty Lentz, a Red Cross Volunteer and resident. It destroyed one home, two outbuildings and one travel trailer. No injuries were reported.

Displaced residents moved from the town hall to the Calaveras High School Monday because it had better equipment, such as showers.

More than 400 firefighters fought the blaze, which was 30 percent contained. Full containment was expected by Friday.

Other fires still burning in Northern California Tuesday included:

* The 2,750-acre Ponderosa fire in Placer County was 90 percent
contained, with 1,944 firefighters on the job, said fire information
officer JoAnn Cartoscelli.

* The 37,500-acre Blue fire in the northeastern corner of
California in Modoc National Forest was 95 percent contained. }