Fires in Mariposa County on February 7th and 8th, 2012

Mariposa County Fire Chief Jim Wilson provided information on the fires in the county the last couple of days. Chief Wilson said he estimated Wednesday afternoon's Guadalupe Mountain Road fire to be approximately three acres and it was in steep, rocky, overgrown vegetation on top of the ridge. Every time the wind would gust, the dry grass would make another run and mop up proved extremely difficult. The second vegetation fire yesterday out on Ben Hur Road burned about ½ acre in very rocky and inaccessible terrain. The third reported fire was a structure fire on Hilltop Road that ended up being a false alarm. A smoldering burn pile was putting up smoke and a neighbor mistook the smoke as coming from a nearby home instead of behind it.

The Tuesday, February 7, 2012 evening structure fire call on Highway 140 in Midpines was a chimney fire with no extension into the rest of the home. It was quickly extinguished with no damage to the residence. The second call was about a vehicle fire in Lushmeadows on Nevada Fall Road that was growing. The vehicle was a 2001 Ford pickup that suddenly combusted after being parked in the driveway. The fire momentarily threatened to spread to the garage but quick action by the homeowner with a garden hose held it at bay until Engine 29 arrived. Chief Wilson said the vehicle was a total loss but there was no damage to the home.

The Fire Chief wrapped up by saying even though property damage was low from all the activity, it has kept emergency responders from County Fire, MPUD and Cal Fire very busy.