Walker Fire in Calaveras County grows to 1,100 acres, destroys 2 structures
Firefighters have managed some containment on a rapidly spreading wildfire that started Tuesday evening in Calaveras County, Cal Fire said Wednesday morning, but the prospect of gusty winds remains a concern.
After burning 1,000 acres by Tuesday evening, the Walker Fire was reported at 1,100 acres with 10 percent containment as of a 7 a.m. Wednesday incident update. Two structures have been destroyed and about 50 more remain threatened, Cal Fire says.
The wildfire has been burning in a rural, hilly area about 10 miles north of the nearest community, Copperopolis, and about 10 miles west of Angels Camp, since about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to Cal Fire.
The fire grew rapidly Tuesday evening with what Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras unit called “critical” rate of spread as of 7 p.m.
More than 400 fire personnel are assigned to the Walker Fire as of Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
Very gusty winds prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning for much California’s Central Valley due to elevated fire conditions, as winds will blow in from the north at 10-25 mph with gusts as high as 35 mph. The red flag warning, which lasts through 8 p.m. Wednesday, includes a portion of the west edge of Calaveras County, where the Walker Fire is burning.
The Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services has issued voluntary evacuation warnings for the area east of the Salt Spring Valley reservoir extending about four miles west of Angels Camp. Temporary evacuation sites have been opened at the Armory in Copperopolis and at the Mt. Oak School, Calaveras OES said in a tweet late Tuesday night.
A webcam from the Nevada Seismological Lab that is part of the Alert Wildfire network captured a significant flare-up on the Walker Fire fire at around 5:40 a.m., before flames and smoke began to subside again.
Here is an animation of the #WalkerFire pic.twitter.com/43nCCWLI75
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) June 17, 2020
The wildfire’s smoke plume could be seen Tuesday evening from Sacramento, more than 50 miles away.
The cause of the fire, which ignited near Walker Trail and Hogan Dam roads, is not known. No civilian or firefighter injuries have been reported.
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