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Update: Detwiler Fire Acreage Grows

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Dewilter Fire Day 3

Update at 9:30 p.m.: CAL Fire reports the Detwiler Fire has grown to 25,000 acres and remains five percent contained. Eight structures have been destroyed and one damaged, while 1,500 are threatened. 

Resources on scene include 1,405 personnel, 217 engines,35 fire crews, 9 air tankers, 11 helicopters, 35 dozers, and 26 water tenders. (Further details on evacuations and shelters can be viewed below.

Update at 8:25 p.m.: The Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at the Groveland Community Hall located at 1872 Highway 120 in Groveland. (Further details on evacuations and the fire can be viewed below.)

Update at 7:30 p.m.: The Mariposa Sheriff’s Office has issued new evacuation orders

Detwiler Fire
CAL Fire Image

for the following area:

Mandatory Evacuations:

Colorado Rd from East Whitlock Road to Rancheria Creek Road and all feeder roads
Rancheria Creek Road
All of Sherlock Road
All of Telegraph Road

Evacuations orders are also in place for the town of Mariposa and in the Coulterville area. 140 Corridor from East Whitlock to Briceburg

Evacuation Advisory:

Hwy 140 From Briceburg to East Whitlcok
Colorado Road from Hwy 140 to Rancheria Creek
Oak Rd
Yosemite Oak Rd

(Further details on evacuations and the fire can be viewed below.)

Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada.

Update at 5:50PM: The Mariposa Sheriff’s Office has issued an Evacuation Advisory for all of the Coulterville and Greeley Hill area due to the 19,600 acre, 5% contained, Detwiler Fire. See below for the Mandatory Evacuation orders.

Update at 5:35: PG&E reports 548 are without power in the greater Detwiler Fire area.   The outages are between Bear Valley and Bagby, and Bagby to Valley Vista Road south of Buck Meadow. There is no word from PG&E whether these outages are related to the Detwiler fire. For the area South of Buck Meadows there is an estimated restoration time of 9PM.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mother Lode Field Office is temporarily closing the Briceburg Visitor Center, along with McCabe Flat, Willow Placer, and Railroad Flat campgrounds along the Merced River due to the Detwiler Fire.

Update at 5:18 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s Office issued additional evacuations for the 19,600 acre, 5% contained, Detwiler Fire.

In the Coulterville Area: Hwy 49N from Schillings rd to Hwy 132, and all side roads.

Main Street Coulterville from Hwy 49N to Dogtown Rd and all side roads.

South of Main Street, Dogtown Road from Greeley Hill Road to Texas Hill Road.

A Red Cross Evacuation Shelter and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada

Red Cross is working on an evacuation center in the Groveland Area, and we will update when we get those details.

Update at 4:45 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s Office issued additional evacuations for the Detwiler Fire, which is 19,600 acres and 5% contained:

Evacuation Orders: Schilling Rd to Dogtown Road. Dogtown road from Schilling road to Texas Hill road and all of Texas Hill Rd

Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada

Evacuation Advisory: 
Hwy 49s from Ben Hur rd to Indian Peak Rd- including all feeder roads
Ashworth to Silver Lane including all feeder roads
Silver Bar to Ashworth- including all feeder roads
Indian Peak to Oak Grove Rd- including all feeder roads
Oak Grove Rd from Miwak Rd to Oak Grove School Rd-including all feeder roads
Allred Rd from 49S to Morningstar Lane- including all feeder roads
Morningstar Lane to Carlton Rd- including all feeder roads
Carlton Rd to Silva Rd- including all feeder roads
Silva Rd to Hwy 49 South- including all feeder roads

What does Adviosry Mean:

  • Evacuation Advisory – Issued alert to media and public of potential evacuation orders.

Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free

Detwiler Fire Visible From Sonora 7/18/17
Photo by: BJ Hansen

Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada

The Detwiler Fire Community Meeting scheduled for tonight 7/18/2017 has been reschedule for 7/19/2017, details to come.

Update at 3:30 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s officials are calling for another mandatory evacuation due to the spreading threat of the Detwiler Fire near Lake McClure.

It is for Buckeye Road (both sides) to Ben Hur Road as well as Ben Hur Road (both sides) to Highway 49 South. This joins dozens of evacuation orders that have already been issued. Read below for full details.

Update at 3:04 p.m.: Yosemite National Park employees living in the Mariposa area and/or those who commute along Highway 140, due to increasing threats posed by the Detwiler Fire, are, with supervisory approval, being told that they may take administrative leave.

Mariposa Sheriff’s officials have also added more areas to those under evacuation orders; Old Highway from Yaqui Gulch to School House Road (both sides of the road); Highway 140 from Mariposa town area to Yaqui Gulch (both sides of the road), including all feeder roads; also Old Highway from Yaqui Gulch to Highway 49 South and all feeder roads, including Mormon Bar area (both sides of the road).

The earlier relocation of the Red Cross Evacuation Shelter at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, includes a small animal shelter. Another shelter is also being set up at Cesar Chavez Junior High, located at 161 Plainsburg Road, Planada.

Update at 2:17 p.m.:  Mariposa Sheriff’s officials, who are now in a multi-agency meeting, are discussing issues relating to emergency management operations due to Detwiler Fire activity.

It is expected that since the town of Mariposa, currently under threat and being evacuated, that a community meeting scheduled for this evening at Mariposa High School will either be relocated or rescheduled. We will bring you that information when it becomes available.

Today’s evacuations also forced the relocation of the Red Cross evacuation shelter from Mariposa Elementary School to the E V Free Church, located at 50443 School Road in Oakhurst.

Update at 12:48 p.m.: CAL Fire officials say the Detwiler Fire has reached 19,600 acres, still with just five percent containment. Several more evacuation orders are going on.

Update at 12:39: Even more evacuation orders are being issued by the Mariposa Sheriff’s Office due to the Detwiler Fire.

The latest are for residents living in the area of West Whitlock from Moser Road to Hwy 140. This includes the following roads: Foran; Penny Royal; Salamander; Grosjean; Alta Vista; Avaca Vale; Lakeview; Serpentine; Cory Pines; Goldmine; Placer Lane

Residents will need to use Highway 140 to Triangle Road when exiting the area.

Update at 12:30 p.m.: The town of Mariposa is among the evacuations that are now being ordered due to the Detwiler Fire.

Here is the latest from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office with regard to evacuations: Highway 140 from East Whitlock to Highway 49 South (both sides of the road),  including Mariposa; Highway 49 North from Agua Fria rd to Highway 140, including all feeder roads; Highway 140 from Mount Bullion Cut off Road to Yaqui Gulch Road, including all feeder roads; also Yaqui Gulch Road to Old Highway, including all feeder roads.

The Red Cross Shelter is now relocated to the E V Free Church located at 50443 School House Road.

CAL Fire officials say fire activity continued to grow throughout the night due to ample fuel and steep terrain and that today firefighters expect unfavorable weather conditions and aggressive fire behavior.

Update at 8:24am: PG&E reports that nearly 900 customers near the Detwiler Fire are

Detwiler Fire PGE Crew
PG&E photo

without electricity.

They include, but are not limited to, areas of Greeley Hill Road, Ernst Road, Hoitzel Road, Dogtown Road, Ponderosa Way, Jordan Creek Road, Buckhorn Fire Road, Wagner Ridge Road, Boneyard Road, Dexter Road, Valley Vista Road, Fiske Road, Schilling Road, Hornitos Valley Road, Highway 49, Bear Valley Road, Hunters Valley Road, Cotton Creek Road, Pendola Garden Road and Drunken Gulch Road.

It is unclear how long the power will be out, according to PG&E.

Original story posted at 7:55am: The Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County, near Lake McClure, is up to 15,500 acres this morning and there is five percent containment.

That’s the latest information following the morning briefing at base camp. Challenges that faced firefighters yesterday included unfavorable weather, ample fuel and steep terrain. 300 structures are still considered threatened and an evacuation center remains open at the Mariposa Elementary School. Tonight, there is a community meeting planned for 6pm at the Mariposa County High School at 5074 Old Highway North. In Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, drift smoke will continue to be an issue today.

CAL Fire notes that the communities of Hunters Valley, Bear Valley, and Hornitos continue to be threatened as the fire encroaches on culturally and historically sensitive areas. Traffic along HWY 41 & 49 will be impacted as a result of road closures on HWY 49 near the fire.

The fire also continues to threaten power lines to the south of the incident, which supply power to Yosemite National Park.

780 firefighters are currently assigned to the incident, 100 fire engines, 22 crews, nine airtankers, five helicopters, nine dozers and four water tenders.

Mandatory Evacuation orders per Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office:

Detwiler Rd- ALL Homes
Hunters Valley Rd- All Homes
Hunters Valley Access Rd- All Homes
Bear Valley Rd- Between Hunters Valley and Hunters Valley Access Rd (Both sides of Bear Valley Rd)
Cotton Creek Rd- All Homes
Bear Valley Rd from Cotton Creek Rd to Hwy 49N (Both Sides of the Road)
Bear Valley Rd from Cotton Creek to Exchequer Rd- (North Side of the Rd only
Hwy 49N- Mt. Ophir to Fremont Fort (Monument at the top of the Bagby Grade)- (Both Sides of the road)
Pendola Gardens to Old Toll Rd
Mount Bullion Ridge Road from HWY 49N to CYA Road
Old Toll Road between Corbett Creek Road and HWY 49N, including Corbett Creek Road
Mount Gains Road to No.9 Road including No.9 Road
HWY 49N from Mount Bullion Ridge Road (Fremont Fort) to old Toll Road
Pendola Garden Road from HWY 49N to Old Toll Road
(Exit via Old Toll Road only)
HWY 49N from Old Toll Road to Agua Fria Road
Area known as Mount Bullion
Mount Bullion Cut off Road and Agua Fria Road from HWY 49N to HWY 140

ADVISEMENT ONLY (not an evacuation order, simple advisement of fire in the area only)

Bear Valley Rd- All homes from Exchequer Rd to Hornitos Rd

Southbound Hwy 49 closed at Highway 132 due to Detwiler Fire, Sonora CHP
Sonora CHP Photo

Hornitos Town Area
All of CYA Road

Road Closures-
Hwy 49N at Agua Fria

Agua Fria at Creek Crossing

Old Toll at Hornitos Rd

Hwy 49N at Hwy 132 (Coulterville)

Bear Valley Rd at Exchequer Rd

Mt. Gains at No.9 Rd

Click here to view a recap of the Detwiler Fire from yesterday.

Update at 8:25 p.m.: The Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at the Groveland Community Hall located at 1872 Highway 120 in Groveland. (Further details on evacuations and the fire can be viewed below.)

Update at 7:30 p.m.: The Mariposa Sheriff’s Office has issued new evacuation orders for the following area:

Mandatory Evacuations:

Colorado Rd from East Whitlock Road to Rancheria Creek Road and all feeder roads
Rancheria Creek Road
All of Sherlock Road
All of Telegraph Road

Evacuations orders are also in place for the town of Mariposa and in the Coulterville area. 140 Corridor from East Whitlock to Briceburg

Evacuation Advisory:

Hwy 140 From Briceburg to East Whitlcok
Colorado Road from Hwy 140 to Rancheria Creek
Oak Rd
Yosemite Oak Rd

(Further details on evacuations and the fire can be viewed below.)

Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada.

Update at 5:50PM: The Mariposa Sheriff’s Office has issued an Evacuation Advisory for all of the Coulterville and Greeley Hill area due to the 19,600 acre, 5% contained, Detwiler Fire. See below for the Mandatory Evacuation orders.

Update at 5:35: PG&E reports 548 are without power in the greater Detwiler Fire area. The outages are between Bear Valley and Bagby, and Bagby to Valley Vista Road south of Buck Meadow. There is no word from PG&E whether these outages are related to the Detwiler fire. For the area South of Buck Meadows there is an estimated restoration time of 9PM.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mother Lode Field Office is temporarily closing the Briceburg Visitor Center, along with McCabe Flat, Willow Placer, and Railroad Flat campgrounds along the Merced River due to the Detwiler Fire.

Update at 5:18 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s Office issued additional evacuations for the 19,600 acre, 5% contained, Detwiler Fire.

In the Coulterville Area: Hwy 49N from Schillings rd to Hwy 132, and all side roads.

Main Street Coulterville from Hwy 49N to Dogtown Rd and all side roads.

South of Main Street, Dogtown Road from Greeley Hill Road to Texas Hill Road.

A Red Cross Evacuation Shelter and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada

Red Cross is working on an evacuation center in the Groveland Area, and we will update when we get those details.

Update at 4:45 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s Office issued additional evacuations for the Detwiler Fire, which is 19,600 acres and 5% contained:

Evacuation Orders: Schilling Rd to Dogtown Road. Dogtown road from Schilling road to Texas Hill road and all of Texas Hill Rd

Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada

Evacuation Advisory:
Hwy 49s from Ben Hur rd to Indian Peak Rd- including all feeder roads
Ashworth to Silver Lane including all feeder roads
Silver Bar to Ashworth- including all feeder roads
Indian Peak to Oak Grove Rd- including all feeder roads
Oak Grove Rd from Miwak Rd to Oak Grove School Rd-including all feeder roads
Allred Rd from 49S to Morningstar Lane- including all feeder roads
Morningstar Lane to Carlton Rd- including all feeder roads
Carlton Rd to Silva Rd- including all feeder roads
Silva Rd to Hwy 49 South- including all feeder roads

What does Adviosry Mean:

  • Evacuation Advisory – Issued alert to media and public of potential evacuation orders.

Red Cross Shelter Evacuation and small animal shelter is located at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, CA and Cesar Chavez Junior High at 161 Plainsburg Rd, Planada

The Detwiler Fire Community Meeting scheduled for tonight 7/18/2017 has been reschedule for 7/19/2017, details to come.

Update at 3:30 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s officials are calling for another mandatory evacuation due to the spreading threat of the Detwiler Fire near Lake McClure.

It is for Buckeye Road (both sides) to Ben Hur Road as well as Ben Hur Road (both sides) to Highway 49 South. This joins dozens of evacuation orders that have already been issued. Read below for full details.

Update at 3:04 p.m.: Yosemite National Park employees living in the Mariposa area and/or those who commute along Highway 140, due to increasing threats posed by the Detwiler Fire, are, with supervisory approval, being told that they may take administrative leave.

Mariposa Sheriff’s officials have also added more areas to those under evacuation orders; Old Highway from Yaqui Gulch to School House Road (both sides of the road); Highway 140 from Mariposa town area to Yaqui Gulch (both sides of the road), including all feeder roads; also Old Highway from Yaqui Gulch to Highway 49 South and all feeder roads, including Mormon Bar area (both sides of the road).

The earlier relocation of the Red Cross Evacuation Shelter at the Evangelical Free Church at 50443 School Road, Oakhurst, includes a small animal shelter. Another shelter is also being set up at Cesar Chavez Junior High, located at 161 Plainsburg Road, Planada.

Update at 2:17 p.m.: Mariposa Sheriff’s officials, who are now in a multi-agency meeting, are discussing issues relating to emergency management operations due to Detwiler Fire activity.

It is expected that since the town of Mariposa, currently under threat and being evacuated, that a community meeting scheduled for this evening at Mariposa High School will either be relocated or rescheduled. We will bring you that information when it becomes available.

Today’s evacuations also forced the relocation of the Red Cross evacuation shelter from Mariposa Elementary School to the E V Free Church, located at 50443 School Road in Oakhurst.

Update at 12:48 p.m.: CAL Fire officials say the Detwiler Fire has reached 19,600 acres, still with just five percent containment. Several more evacuation orders are going on.

Update at 12:39: Even more evacuation orders are being issued by the Mariposa Sheriff’s Office due to the Detwiler Fire.

The latest are for residents living in the area of West Whitlock from Moser Road to Hwy 140. This includes the following roads: Foran; Penny Royal; Salamander; Grosjean; Alta Vista; Avaca Vale; Lakeview; Serpentine; Cory Pines; Goldmine; Placer Lane

Residents will need to use Highway 140 to Triangle Road when exiting the area.

Update at 12:30 p.m.: The town of Mariposa is among the evacuations that are now being ordered due to the Detwiler Fire.

Here is the latest from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office with regard to evacuations: Highway 140 from East Whitlock to Highway 49 South (both sides of the road), including Mariposa; Highway 49 North from Agua Fria rd to Highway 140, including all feeder roads; Highway 140 from Mount Bullion Cut off Road to Yaqui Gulch Road, including all feeder roads; also Yaqui Gulch Road to Old Highway, including all feeder roads.

The Red Cross Shelter is now relocated to the E V Free Church located at 50443 School House Road.

CAL Fire officials say fire activity continued to grow throughout the night due to ample fuel and steep terrain and that today firefighters expect unfavorable weather conditions and aggressive fire behavior.

Update at 8:24am: PG&E reports that nearly 900 customers near the Detwiler Fire are without electricity.

They include, but are not limited to, areas of Greeley Hill Road, Ernst Road, Hoitzel Road, Dogtown Road, Ponderosa Way, Jordan Creek Road, Buckhorn Fire Road, Wagner Ridge Road, Boneyard Road, Dexter Road, Valley Vista Road, Fiske Road, Schilling Road, Hornitos Valley Road, Highway 49, Bear Valley Road, Hunters Valley Road, Cotton Creek Road, Pendola Garden Road and Drunken Gulch Road.

It is unclear how long the power will be out, according to PG&E.

Original story posted at 7:55am: The Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County, near Lake McClure, is up to 15,500 acres this morning and there is five percent containment.

That’s the latest information following the morning briefing at base camp. Challenges that faced firefighters yesterday included unfavorable weather, ample fuel and steep terrain. 300 structures are still considered threatened and an evacuation center remains open at the Mariposa Elementary School. Tonight, there is a community meeting planned for 6pm at the Mariposa County High School at 5074 Old Highway North. In Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, drift smoke will continue to be an issue today.

CAL Fire notes that the communities of Hunters Valley, Bear Valley, and Hornitos continue to be threatened as the fire encroaches on culturally and historically sensitive areas. Traffic along HWY 41 & 49 will be impacted as a result of road closures on HWY 49 near the fire.

The fire also continues to threaten power lines to the south of the incident, which supply power to Yosemite National Park.

780 firefighters are currently assigned to the incident, 100 fire engines, 22 crews, nine airtankers, five helicopters, nine dozers and four water tenders.

Mandatory Evacuation orders per Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office:

Detwiler Rd- ALL Homes
Hunters Valley Rd- All Homes
Hunters Valley Access Rd- All Homes
Bear Valley Rd- Between Hunters Valley and Hunters Valley Access Rd (Both sides of Bear Valley Rd)
Cotton Creek Rd- All Homes
Bear Valley Rd from Cotton Creek Rd to Hwy 49N (Both Sides of the Road)
Bear Valley Rd from Cotton Creek to Exchequer Rd- (North Side of the Rd only
Hwy 49N- Mt. Ophir to Fremont Fort (Monument at the top of the Bagby Grade)- (Both Sides of the road)
Pendola Gardens to Old Toll Rd
Mount Bullion Ridge Road from HWY 49N to CYA Road
Old Toll Road between Corbett Creek Road and HWY 49N, including Corbett Creek Road
Mount Gains Road to No.9 Road including No.9 Road
HWY 49N from Mount Bullion Ridge Road (Fremont Fort) to old Toll Road
Pendola Garden Road from HWY 49N to Old Toll Road
(Exit via Old Toll Road only)
HWY 49N from Old Toll Road to Agua Fria Road
Area known as Mount Bullion
Mount Bullion Cut off Road and Agua Fria Road from HWY 49N to HWY 140

ADVISEMENT ONLY (not an evacuation order, simple advisement of fire in the area only)

Bear Valley Rd- All homes from Exchequer Rd to Hornitos Rd
Hornitos Town Area
All of CYA Road

Road Closures-
Hwy 49N at Agua Fria

Agua Fria at Creek Crossing

Old Toll at Hornitos Rd

Hwy 49N at Hwy 132 (Coulterville)

Bear Valley Rd at Exchequer Rd

Mt. Gains at No.9 Rd

Click here to view a recap of the Detwiler Fire from yesterday.

Looking out over Orchard at Detwiler smoke

End of Day 3 report
Detwiler Fire Starts
Detwiler Fire Day 2
Day 3 (see above)
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Dewilter Fire Timeline Overview

  • Detwiler Fire Near Lake McClure
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