Woods Fire evacuation orders lifted after wildfire burns perilously close to heart of Sonora

Staff reports
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The Woods Fire burns near Sonora, California, on Sept. 2, 2022.
The Woods Fire burns near Sonora, California, on Sept. 2, 2022.
Cal Fire said that firefighters will continue to build and strengthen containment lines around the Woods Fire throughout the day. Damage assessment is ongoing.
Cal Fire said that firefighters will continue to build and strengthen containment lines around the Woods Fire throughout the day. Damage assessment is ongoing.

5 p.m. update: All evacuation orders lifted

All mandatory evacuation orders and warnings are cancelled, Cal Fire said shortly before 5 p.m. Friday. However, the road closure on Stockton Road from Ponderosa Way to Highway 108 will remain in place while fire crews continue to mop up. The evacuation center at the Posse Grounds off Rawhide Road and the Animal Shelter off of Victoria Way will be closing Friday. The California Office of Emergency Services public information line, (209) 533-5151, will be staffed until 5 p.m.

Original story

Firefighters working through the night have stopped forward progress on a wildfire that came perilously close to the heart of Sonora in California’s Mother Lode.

The Woods Fire began just before 9 p.m. Thursday near Highway 108 and Stockton Road in Sonora and quickly grew, moving up the mountainside and alarming nearby residents, many who were ordered to evacuate.

According to Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, “intensive and aggressive work overnight by firefighters has led to the forward progress of the fire being stopped” at 21 acres; it is 10 percent contained, officials said. Residents from as far away as Jamestown posted photos and video on Facebook showing towering flames.

“I came home to smoke and all my neighborhood came out and within seconds it was flames,” one resident posted on a Facebook update on the fire on the Tuolumne County Incident Feed page.

Cal Fire said that firefighters will continue to build and strengthen containment lines around the wildfire throughout the day. The cause is under investigation and damage assessment is ongoing.

Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of the Tower Fire and have established 25% containment near Valley Springs, authorities said.
Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of the Tower Fire and have established 25% containment near Valley Springs, authorities said.

Tower Fire also burning near Valley Springs

Fire crews are also battling another fire in the Mother Lode, in Calaveras County's Milton just outside Valley Springs. That wildfire, called the Tower Fire, was initially reported at three acres shortly before 2 p.m. and grew to 45 acres by Friday afternoon; it is progressing to the south near Rock Creek Road and Salt Spring Reservoir east of Milton, Cal Fire said. Just after 3:30, Cal Fire reported that firefighters had stopped its forward progress and established 25% containment.

The Tower Fire comes just a day after another Milton-area fire called the Rock Fire, which reportedly grew to several acres before forward progress was stopped.

California is in the grip of a prolonged heat wave, and temperatures have been so high that residents have been asked for three consecutive days to conserve power during late afternoon and evening hours when solar energy declines.

Mandatory evacuation orders

  • North Drive

  • Fairway

  • Outlook Drive

  • Martha Lane

  • Golden Dove

  • Silver Pine

  • Circle Lane

  • Alley Drive

  • Chabroullian Lane

  • Constance Lane

  • Golf Links Road East of Chabroullian

  • Mountain Vista Court

  • McKibbin

Evacuation map: Click here for the latest boundaries.

Emergency alerts: Sign up for emergency alerts by clicking here.

Evacuation warnings

  • Golf Links Road West of Chabroullian

  • Gibbs Drive

  • Jamestown Road

  • Racetrack Road

  • Ponderosa Drive

  • Cottage Court

  • Woodside Drive

Road closures

  • Stockton Road from Highway 108 to Ponderosa Way

  • Highway 108 at Golf Links Road

  • Golf Links Road at Chabroullian

Evacuation center

Posse Grounds at 19130 Rawhide Road

Animal evacuation center

Animal Control on 10040 Victoria Way

Information

(209) 533-5151

Planned power outage area

PGE said it would be de-energizing power in the area of North Drive and Outlook Drive. Those outages are planned but may affect other areas. Contact PGE 800-743-5000 with questions or concerns.

In Northern California

Firefighters in Northern California's Shasta County are battling the Mill Fire, which has prompted mandatory evacuations for all residents east of Interstate 5 to Jackson Ranch Road. Firefighters say the blaze has reached Jackson Ranch Road. Also, all of Lake Shastina is under a mandatory evacuation order. Evacuation warnings are in place along Highway 97 in the Mt. Shasta Vista neighborhood.

In Southern California

Firefighters battling the Route Fire in Southern California’s Castaic near the Grapevine were pulled back at times to find rest and shade on Thursday, a day after seven were sent to the hospital in the midst of a grueling heat wave.

Progress also was made on a fire in eastern San Diego County near the U.S.-Mexico border that left two people hospitalized with critical second- and third-degree burns, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Woods Fire: Sonora wildfire prompts evacuations in Tuolumne County