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Fire August 6 2004 |
The Mineral Mountain Fire
Calaveras Enterprise
Article
Crews scramble to
battle wildland fires
By Craig Koscho
As authorities search for an arsonist, Calaveras County residents praise
the efforts of firefighters who saved countless homes during a series of
three weekend wildfires that charred 4,408 acres. All of them broke out
about 2 p.m. on Friday.
A 3,445-acre Copper fire near Copperopolis was accidental, believed to be
caused from sparks blowing out the exhaust of a vehicle on Highway 4. The
most damaging of the blazes were the Armstrong and Mineral Fires, where
two homes and seven outbuildings were destroyed. Those fires were the last
of four deliberately set in that area, according to officials with the
California Department of Forestry.
The first two broke out on Armstrong Road about two miles east of Sheep
Ranch and were quickly contained, CDF Battalion Chief Richard Imlach said.
The remaining two were ignited on Sheep Ranch Road, with the Armstrong
Fire destroying 87 acres and the Mineral Fire scorching 876 acres. Imlach
did not wish to release any information as to how the fires were started.
CDF Division Chief Keith Larkin said the pattern of the ignition points
was consistent with arson. Anyone who might have seen a suspect or vehicle
in the area is urged to call 532-0821 or 1-800-468-4408. Callers may be
eligible for a $5,000 reward if a suspect is convicted. "Anyone who was
out there is a potential witness," Imlach said.
Dave Illsey, who lives near the Mineral Mountain subdivision between Sheep
Ranch and Avery, suspected something suspicious when he first spotted the
smoke. "It looked like arson," he said Friday afternoon as he and others
watched from Lucy Lewis's home as helicopters and tankers flew over
Mineral Mountain. "I lost my house in the Old Gulch Fire," Lewis said,
referring to the massive wildfire that broke out Aug. 16, 1992, and burned
nearly 18,000 acres.
Frank and Carrie Lowe, whose home is just downhill from Lewis's, had
packed up their children, Kelsey 10, and Mason, 5, along with pictures,
clothes and the dog, just in case they needed to get out in a hurry. Just
up Sheep Ranch Road from Lewis's home, firefighters took a stand late
Friday afternoon to save the home of Bill and Nancy Bogdanoff on
Prospector Court. Flames were racing up the canyon to the Bogdanoff back
yard as volunteers from the Ebbetts Pass Fire District and Inmate Crew No.
2 from the Vallecito Conservation Camp arrived on the scene.
Bogdanoff, who was busy himself hosing down the house and property, said
his wife called him at work when the fire started getting close. "She
pulled out all the paperwork and the animals and split," Bogdanoff said.
Fire crews dug in their heels, tapped into a nearby hydrant and began
fighting the flames from the ground. Volunteers showed up from all over.
Kelley Hackett was an Ebbetts Pass firefighter before joining the Lawrence
Livermore Fire Department. She still lives in Avery, and when the fire
broke out she decided to see if her old group wanted any help. As she and
the other Ebbetts Pass firefighters fought the flames with water, the camp
crew cut out deadwood and cleared the property, holding the line until a
tanker and a couple of helicopters could hit the oncoming flames from the
air, halting their approach at Bogdanoff's property line.
During a quick respite as inmates re-filled their water bottles from the
home's water spigots, fire Capt. Mark Seim gathered his crew together for
a briefing, telling them he didn't know how the fire started or how big it
was, but they could count on being there throughout the night and probably
through the weekend. "Does this answer everyone's questions?" he asked.
Bogdanoff stayed home Monday to clean up his property. "Those guys all
saved my house," he said of the fire crews.
The hardest-hit area was on Fullen Road, which takes a long loop off Sheep
Ranch Road between Avery and Murphys. Homes along Dolores and Mitzpah
roads were surrounded by flames Friday. Tim and Star Hildabrand, whose
house is on Dolores Road, were told to evacuate around 4 p.m. "I sent (my
wife) out with the cat," Tim Hildabrand said. He stayed behind and kept
things doused with the help of a pump and 150-gallon tank in the back of
his Humvee. Another 17,000 gallons was on hand in the couple's swimming
pool. As the flames grew closer, an engine and crew from the Angels Camp
Fire Department showed up, Tim Hildabrand said. "They came up and parked
and hooked up to the pool," Hildabrand said. "It (the fire) went
completely around the house."
He had nothing but praise for the crew, Lt. Tom Starks and firefighters
Mike Waldon and Scott Filkins. The home of another neighbor was not as
fortunate and was destroyed by the flames. The house was a second
residence owned by Ivo Waher who was not home at the time, Hildabrand
said. Flames also spared a motor home on one lot owned by Carl and Wendy
Black, Hildabrand said. The parcel was protected by a cleared area and the
mobile home appeared unscathed Saturday morning.
Residents and fire officials said a number of fuel breaks helped stem the
tide in this firefight. During a briefing at Monday's county Board of
Supervisors meeting, Larkin said they were very concerned when the fire
crossed Fullen Road in some spots.
"Once that fire got into the San Domingo drainage, there was a good
opportunity for it to make a run up toward the Avery communities and the
Darby area," Larkin said. The U.S. Forest Service had already cut a lot of
fire breaks in that area which allowed them to make some stands, Larkin
said.
Throughout Saturday morning and afternoon, hand crews cleared even more
vegetation from in front of the fire while tankers and helicopters made
more drops. Several residents stopped at a vantage point on Highway 4 near
Northwood Drive to look across the canyon at the flurry of activity. The
hard work paid off, and by Monday morning all three fires were in good
shape with the Copper and Armstrong fires 95 percent contained and the
Mineral Fire 85 percent contained.
Larkin expected command of the fire to shift from the state incident
command team back to the local CDF unit by Wednesday. "We're feeling very
good about where we are today," Larkin told the supervisors. They were
already cutting back Monday because resources were needed at a large
wildfire near Colfax that Larkin expected to hit 1,000 acres that day. He
also praised the cooperation between the state and various county agencies
through the Multi Agency Coordinating Committee. "We have an excellent
MACC," Larkin said, noting the effort of sheriff's Capt. Clay Hawkins, who
heads the local Office of Emergency Services.
About 120 people were evacuated from 80 homes in the Sheep Ranch and
Mineral Mountain areas, Larkin said. The county set up an evacuation
center at Avery Middle School, but most people apparently found shelter
with friends or at motels.
The Copper fire started at three close-together spots on Highway 4 near
Telegraph Road. Imlach said that's indicative of a vehicle blowing sparks,
particularly as it comes up that grade, stressing the engine. That fire
quickly spread southeast through dry grass toward the Saddle Creek
community near Copperopolis. Larkin said he did not believe there were any
evacuations there, though, since the golf course served as a protective
green belt between houses and the fire.
The Calaveras County Water District also had crews on hand in the western
portion of the Mineral Fire where firefighters were drawing water from
district's Ebbetts Pass Highland system near Avery. In the past, the
district has had problems with "water hammer" during such emergencies said
Fred Burnett, CCWD's superintendent of operations and maintenance. This
occurs when a hydrant is opened on a high-pressure line, then suddenly
shut off. "It produces a pressure wave inside the pipe," Burnett said.
The pipe can burst up the line from the hydrant, cutting off the
flow.Because of those types of problems in the past, and to maintain a
good flow of water, the district had two, two-person crews working
round-the-clock, showing firefighters which hydrants to use and which to
avoid.
Many residents in the Mineral Mountain and Fullen Road areas were
survivors of the Old Gulch Fire 12 years ago. Some even lost their homes;
rebuilding only to see them threatened again last weekend. Despite the
dangers, residents wouldn't live anywhere else. "I'm happy to be here,"
Lucy Lewis said. "It's too pristine and quiet to move anywhere else," Dave
Illsey echoed.
Contact Craig Koscho at
ckoscho@calaverasenterprise.com.
Wildfires
erupt in the Lode
1,000 acres burn so far
By Francis P. Garland
Lode Bureau Chief - Stockton Record
Published Saturday, August 7,
2004
ANGELS
CAMP -- A string of fires in central and western
Calaveras County on Friday blackened about 1,000
acres, forcing the evacuation of dozens of
residents and threatening numerous structures.
The
largest of the fires, dubbed the Armstrong Fire,
was spotted Friday afternoon in the Sheep Ranch
area and had grown to 750 acres by Friday night.
The
second big fire, called the Copper Fire, ignited
west of Copperopolis, south of Highway 4 near
the Diamond XX subdivision, and had burned 260
acres by nightfall. Several structures had been
threatened, but officials did not know if any
were destroyed. They also had no containment
estimates as of late Friday night.
Beth Ruano, a California Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection spokeswoman, said fire
lookouts picked up four separate fires in the
Sheep Ranch area; several of those fires joined
together to form the Armstrong Fire.
The
fire prompted officials to evacuate residents in
the Mineral Mountain, Indian Creek and Fullen
Road areas. About 120 people were evacuated and
an evacuation center was established Friday
evening at Avery Middle School.
Sharon Torrence, a CDF spokeswoman, said an
evacuation center had been established at
Copperopolis Elementary School for those seeking
shelter from the Copper Fire. Torrence said
investigators weren't saying if any of Friday's
fires were intentionally set. "All we know is
that there were several starts," she said. "With
the humidity the way it's been, it could have
been human-caused. It could have been from a car
that had a faulty catalytic converter.
"Until our investigator gets there, we won't
really know."
The
fires sent up huge plumes of smoke in both
central and western Calaveras County and had
dozens of residents on edge all afternoon and
evening. "It's scary -- very scary," said Kim
Huber, who lives in Mineral Mountain, a small
neighborhood between Murphys and Mountain Ranch
that 12 years ago experienced the devastating
Old Gulch Fire. Huber said she was at work
Friday afternoon when her boss told her "the
neighborhood was on fire." By the time she got
home, the fire had come within 100 yards of her
house. Huber said she sent her daughter and
granddaughter away but she elected to stay. "I'm
manning the post, come hell or high water," she
said as helicopters and air tankers roared
overhead. "I'm not leaving."
Huber said she moved to Mineral Mountain seven
years ago from an urban area and still hasn't
gotten used to the threat of fire that is part
of life in the Mother Lode. "I'm pretty
nervous. I have 40 or 50 feet of clearance from
my house, but that doesn't mean the fire won't
touch you." Huber said if someone intentionally
set the fires, "I hope they catch him. He did a
lot of damage -- starting fires in ridiculous
spots that people can't get to."
Paul Moeller, who lives on Fullen Road and lived
through the Old Gulch Fire, said sheriff's
deputies came and recommended that people leave
their homes. "But I'm staying for awhile,"
he said Friday afternoon.
Also staying put in Copperopolis was Donald
Carey, who lives in Diamond XX. He estimated the
fire was within a quarter-mile of his home, but
he wasn't afraid. "My wife was, but I'm an
ex-fireman -- I was prepared," he said. "I had
all my valuables in one bag." Carey said he
considered letting his horses run loose and
locking up his barn to keep them from running
back inside and getting trapped in a fire. But
he and his horses stayed the course.
Some, however, sought protection at the
evacuation centers. Kristen Jennings, who works
for the Calaveras Works and Human Services
Agency, was helping get the center ready Friday
evening and said people were filtering in.
"We're registering people and taking phone
messages," she said. "We're making a list of who
is looking for whom." Jennings said an
area also was being set up for pets, and by
early evening a dog and a couple of cats were
making use of the place. Jennings said
some of those who came to the center were
"pretty shaken up," because they didn't have a
chance to gather much of their personal
belongings before they were told to leave their
homes. "We have some elderly people who grabbed
their cats but not much else. Some have been
through fires before and they know the game, but
they're still frightened," Jennings said.
"People don't know where this is going to go --
if it's going to go on like the Old Gulch Fire
or if they'll wrap it up."
Fire crews
stave off disaster
Still, 4,400
acres burned
By Francis P.
Garland
Record Staff Writer -
Stockton Record
Published
Sunday, August 8, 2004
COPPEROPOLIS -- Favorable
weather conditions helped
firefighters make major
inroads on a trio of Mother
Lode fires Saturday, but
officials said it would be
several more days before the
blazes were fully contained.
The Armstrong, Mineral and
Copper fires, which started
Friday afternoon within two
hours of one another, charred
more than 4,400 combined acres
in central and southwest
Calaveras County by early
Saturday evening.
Sharon Torrence, a California
Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection spokeswoman,
said a vehicle with mechanical
problems heading east on
Highway 4 ignited the
3,445-acre Copper Fire, which
started as three separate
fires and merged into one near
Copperopolis. Torrence said
the vehicle likely had a
faulty catalytic converter.
Investigators still didn't
know Saturday night what
caused the 876-acre Mineral
Fire, between Murphys and
Sheep Ranch, or the 82-acre
Armstrong Fire, also near
Sheep Ranch. Satellite mapping
of the fires Saturday
substantially raised the
number of acres burned from
Friday night, when forestry
officials had estimated about
1,000 acres had burned. And
the larger of the two fires
Friday split into the two
Sheep Ranch fires Saturday.
Some residents in the
burned-out areas speculated
someone intentionally set the
fires, because there were
several separate starts in
each of them and those starts
occurred within a relatively
narrow time frame.
Firefighters had a tough time
getting a handle on the fires
Friday, but by Saturday
evening, they had lines around
90 percent of the Armstrong
and Copper fires and about
half of the Mineral Fire.
Officials said full
containment is expected by 6
p.m. Tuesday. CDF spokesman
Martin Johnson said the
weather played a key role in
firefighters getting the upper
hand Saturday. "There was
almost no wind for much of the
day, and that allowed
firefighters to construct a
lot of what we call direct
line -- to get right up to the
fire's edge and create a fire
break," he said.Johnson said
the absence of the wind "gave
us the edge we needed to gain
the increased containment that
we had."
CDF poured plenty of resources
onto the fire in the form of
190 engines, 33 hand crews 11
bulldozers, nine helicopters
and five air tankers.
Firefighters kept busy
Saturday constructing line and
putting out hot spots.
Helicopters in the Fullen Road
area repeatedly dropped big
buckets of water over the
charred, moonlike landscape
that emitted eerie puffs of
smoke here and there. Only one
minor injury to a firefighter
was reported.
One mobile home and an
outbuilding burned in the
Armstrong Fire, but officials
could not confirm that any
structures burned in either of
the other two fires. The fires
threatened roughly 200 homes
at one time or another,
including dozens in the
upscale Saddle Creek golf
community near Copperopolis.
Gordon Jones and his son,
Bradley Jones, who own a
second home at Saddle Creek
that was completed just two
months ago, said they saw
billowing smoke and bright
light from the Copper Fire as
they headed east on Highway 4
from the Bay Area on Friday
night. "It was surreal," said
Bradley Jones, watching the
fire smolder and periodically
flare up Saturday from a
nearby vacant lot. "The trees
were kind of glowing." By the
time they reached their home,
they saw five fire trucks
parked on their street and
were asked to leave. "We hosed
down the side of the house and
put the sprinklers on to wet
as much as we could," Gordon
Jones said. "But we knew we
should leave -- we didn't want
to get in the way. "We've been
through a house fire before,
and there's nothing more
important than your family and
your health." he Joneses
headed back to Danville on
Friday night but returned
Saturday morning after calling
the Saddle Creek golf course
and finding out it was
business as usual on the
links. "We knew everything was
fine if they were playing
golf," Gordon Jones said. "It
was quite a relief to hear
that."
Saddle Creek and Diamond XX
residents who were told to
evacuate Friday were allowed
to return later that night.
But many of those evacuated
from the Mineral Fire on
Friday were still being kept
out of their homes Saturday
evening.
The fire threatened about 150
homes in the Mineral Mountain,
Indian Creek and Fullen Road
areas, near Sheep Ranch.
About 210 people left their
homes in those neighborhoods
and an evacuation center was
established at Avery Middle
School. Only one person,
however, spent the night there
Friday, and operations were
winding down by Saturday
afternoon.
Bill Bogdanoff, who lives in
Mineral Mountain, stayed in a
Murphys motel Friday night, as
did neighbors Mike and Denise
Connich. Bogdanoff was
permitted to return home
Saturday morning to fix a
damaged water line but had to
leave again. Bogdanoff said
the fire came within 50 feet
of his home and that if he
hadn't cleared his vegetation,
firefighters "wouldn't have
stayed there to save my
house." The Conniches thought
something was amiss when they
saw smoke on the horizon from
Angels Camp on Friday
afternoon. "My wife asked, 'Is
that Mineral Mountain?' "
recalled Mike Connich, viewing
the fire Saturday from nearby
Hathaway Pines. "I said,
'No, that's not even close.' "
Peggy and Jerry Lucas, who
live in Indian Creek, also
spent Friday night in Murphys
but were able to return home
Saturday afternoon. The
Lucases were home Friday
afternoon when they saw the
fire approaching over a ridge.
"When the flames started
coming this way," said Peggy
Lucas, "we thought it was a
good idea to leave." It
was -- the fire roared to the
edge of their yard and burned
completely around their house.
"I just look around and think,
'Oh, my God,' " said Peggy
Lucas, standing on her back
deck Saturday as firefighters
continued to toil nearby. "The
firefighters did a fabulous
job. We are really, really
lucky." |
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Fire Update
Friday, August 06, 2004
The two fires
burning near the community of Sheep Ranch has
grown to 430 acres and burning thick manzanita
brush and pines in very rugged terrain. Flames
are threatening numerous structures, including
the Stevenot Winery and their vineyards in that
area.
The Calaveras County Sheriff's Department is
reporting that 150 homes have been evacuated in
the area of Mineral Mountain, Indian Creek and
Fullen Road. According to the Calaveras County
Office of Emergency Services, an evacuation
center has been set up along with the CHP and
fire officials.
Fire officials
report 250 acres have been blackened in another
fire burning west of Copperopolis along Highway
4 in western Calaveras County. Some evacuations
have been order in that fire as well in the area
of Pummell Way off Telegraph Road.
No word yet on when
these fires will be contained.
Homes Being
Evacuated In Mineral Mountain Area
Friday, August 06, 2004
Fire officials at
the CDF headquaters in San Andreas are now
saying evacuations are being called for in the
Mineral Mountain area because of the fire
burning there. A fire dispatcher says some
structures are involved in this blaze.
Sheep Ranch Road is
now closed at the Stevenot Winery.
Road Closures Due
To Blaze
Friday, August 06, 2004
Road closures
because of this fire to let you know about....
The CHP is reporting that Sheep Ranch Road at
the Stevenot Winery is now closed to all
traffic.
Also Avery Sheep Ranch is closed at Sullins
and at Avery Sheep Ranch closed at the dump. Additional road
closures could be called at any time.
Evacuation Shelter
Set-up In Avery
Friday, August 06, 2004
According to the
Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services an
evacuation center has been set up at Avery
Middle School in Avery for people that have been
displaced from their homes in the Mineral
Mountain subdivision. The school is located 4545
Moran Road in Avery.
Fire Update
Friday, August 06, 2004
The two fires
burning near the community of Sheep Ranch has
grown to 430 acres and burning thick manzanita
brush and pines in very rugged terrain. Flames
are threatening numerous structures, including
the Stevenot Winery and their vineyards in that
area.
The Calaveras County Sheriff's Department is
reporting that 150 homes have been evacuated in
the area of Mineral Mountain, Indian Creek and
Fullen Road. According to the Calaveras County
Office of Emergency Services, an evacuation
center has been set up along with the CHP and
fire officials.
Fire officials
report 250 acres have been blackened in another
fire burning west of Copperopolis along Highway
4 in western Calaveras County. Some evacuations
have been order in that fire as well in the area
of Pummell Way off Telegraph Road.
No word yet on when
these fires will be contained.
Calaveras County
Fires Continue To Burn
Friday, August 06, 2004
Joseph Kreiss
News Director
Firefighters
continued to battle wildfires burning in two
locations of Calaveras County Friday night. Two
fires raged through tinder - dry grass, brush,
manzanita and pines Friday in the foothill
communities of Sheep Ranch, Mineral Mountain and
Indian Creek.
As of late Friday afternoon, these fires had
blackened more than 500 acres and a number of
homes and structures were damaged or destroyed
by the flames.
Numerous air
tankers and helicopters - in what seemed like a
continuous stream of one after another - dumped
thousands of gallons of water and retardant on
the fire in the area, near Avery east of
Murphys. Fire fighters and strike teams of fire
engines were being called in from as far away as
Santa Clara.
Homeowner Jeff
Yarbrough lives on Fullen Road, which was
evacuated by fire officials earlier in the
afternoon. He had to let many of his animals,
like cows, and chickens run free to escape the
flames and smoke. He guided his horse named
Raleigh and dog called Lucky away from danger.
Yarbrough's seen
wildfires before, but never this close: "This
was right at our door," he said, still shaken
from the experience. He said a fire engine was
positioned at his house for protection.
His neighbors were
not as lucky. Yarbrough said he watched as a
large weekend home across the valley from him
literally exploded in flames.
A second large fire
continues to burn overnight as well in the
Copperopolis area of Calaveras County. This
blaze off Highway 4 had reached 250 acres in
size as of around 8 p.m. Friday night.
Earlier in the day,
some homes were evacuated in the Pommel Road and
Horseshoe Way area, but fire officials said the
flames were still quite a ways away. At one
point the fire had gotten to Little John Creek
in the Copper Cove Village area.
Fires Continue
Saturday In Calaveras County
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Sebastian Kunz
Anchor
The fires in
Calaveras County continue to burn this morning
with firefighters working through the night and
the firefighting aircraft ready to go at
daybreak.
At last report, over 1000 acres of land had
been burned around the community of Sheep Ranch
near Murphys.
Also one wooden
weekend cabin and one travel trailer have been
confirmed destroyed by the California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Calaveras
County Sheriff's Department is reporting that at
least 120 people have been evacuated in the area
of Mineral Mountain, Indian Creek and Fullen
Road. According to the
Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services,
an evacuation center has been set up at Avery
Middle School.
Fire crews from as
far away as Stockton, Modesto, and even
Sacramento were brought in to assist with the
fires.
Second Fire Burns
Near Copperopolis
And that wasn't
all. About 45 miles to the southwest near
Diamond XX west of Copperopolis, another fire
broke out later yesterday afternoon.
That fire has
burned over 1700 acres as of a report this
morning, and the Saddle Creek subdivision and
the area around Pommel Way had also reportedly
been evacuated late yesterday afternoon.
As many as fifty
homes were threatened in the Saddle Creek area.
Evacuees in that
case were being sent to Copperopolis Elementary
School.
Keep Roadways,
Emergency Lines Clear for Emergencies
Officials at the
CDF are also asking folks to take extra care,
watch out for emergency equipment and fire
trucks and if possible, stay clear of the
roadways in all areas close to the fires burning
this morning.
In addition,
they're telling residents to not call 9-1-1 for
fire updates. Keep the emergency lines clear for
people with real emergencies.
Fires Continue
Saturday In Calaveras County
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Sebastian Kunz
Anchor
The fires in
Calaveras County continue to burn this morning
with firefighters working through the night and
the firefighting aircraft ready to go at
daybreak.
At last report, over 1000 acres of land had
been burned around the community of Sheep Ranch
near Murphys. Also one wooden
weekend cabin and one travel trailer have been
confirmed destroyed by the California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Calaveras
County Sheriff's Department is reporting that at
least 120 people have been evacuated in the area
of Mineral Mountain, Indian Creek and Fullen
Road. According to the
Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services,
an evacuation center has been set up at Avery
Middle School.
Fire crews from as
far away as Stockton, Modesto, and even
Sacramento were brought in to assist with the
fires.
Firefighter
Handling Calaveras Blazes Sunday
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Over 17-hundred
firefighters are working to contain the
Calaveras Complex fire.
Nearly 44-hundred acres in all have been
burned, and full containment is expected Tuesday
evening.
The three fires
began Friday afternoon. The Armstrong Fire,
which began around 2pm Friday, is estimated to
have burned up to 82 acres. The Mineral and
Copper fires however were much larger. The Mineral Fire
has burned 876 acres and the Copper fire has
burned about 3445 acres.
Both the Armstrong
and Copper Fires are 90 percent contained as of
today... with the Mineral Fire, out near Sheep
Ranch, is estimated to be 65 percent contained.
One wooden summer
cabin and one mobile home have been confirmed
lost, and so far one minor injury to a
firefighter has been reported.
While the cause of
the Copper Fire has been determined to be a
vehicle with mechanical problems travelling
eastbound along Highway 4, officials aren't so
sure about the Armstrong and Mineral Fires.
In all, 150
residences and 40 outbuildings are threatened by
the Calaveras Complex Fire. And officials from
the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection say... while allowing the 210
evacuated residents to return home is a high
priority, it will only be done when it's deemed
safe to do so.
Officials are
reviewing the situation every six hours.
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