Auberry Fire - Trails Section - Clovis Free Press

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Vol. 17 No. 21	Final Edition

August 14, 2000
AUBERRY WILDFIRE!
Sierra residents evacuated as fire runs wild
By Thomas Hobbs, Editor

     AUBERRY, Calif. -- Early Sunday afternoon around 2:15 p.m., Clovis Free Press staff working in the office at 754 3rd. Street in Old Town Clovis, noticed a huge cream-colored mushroom cloud rising over the Sierra. Reporters quickly notified the Sierra National Forest Office on Tollhouse Road in Clovis.
     Within moments, a California Division of Forestry Fire Truck and crew were on the way to Auberry. When firefighters arrived on the scene, flames were 60 feet high and sweeping along nearly 600 acres of Pine Ridge directly above Prather and along Highway 168 and the Four Lane are blocked off by fire crews and police at the Shaver turnoff. A smoldering patch along side the road above the Auberry Store was whipped into a major fire around 3:00 p.m. Sunday. Borate bombers were dropping their orange fire retardant.
      Capt. Pete Marquez of the California Division of Forestry and Fire told reporters. "We've got it 30% contained we've moved everyone out, and we'll keep the fire surrounded as best we can. Some of that terrain is impossible to get to." Clovis Free Press reporters were on the scene around 3:30 when the Meadow Lakes Road was closed. Local residents gathered at the Auberry Store.
     The fire rushed toward the historic S.J.& E. road (parallel to 168) and was directly in the path about 1/4 mile away from hot zone. A sudden gust of wind mercifully turned the fire away from Auberry as it moved south east up the steep canyon gorges and toward the top of Pine Ridge and Meadow Lakes.
     Smoke and fire was dense on the ridge East of town and was smoldering during the night. At 7:00 a.m. Monday Highway 168 remained closed. A half-hour later the entire ridge was burning out of control. Access to Shaver Lake via the old Tollhouse Grade was still open, however

Letter to the Editor

©2000 Clovis Free Press. All rights reserved.

CLOVISNEWS.COM
"Of the people ~ By the people ~ For the People" - A. Lincoln

[an error occurred while processing this directive]