California town of 2,700 evacuating as wildfire surges

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

SAN ANDREAS, Calif. (AP) — The 2,700 residents of a Northern California town were ordered to evacuate Friday and the governor declared a state of emergency in the area as an explosive wildfire spread.

Everyone in San Andreas, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, was ordered out as the wildfire jumped from a few hundred acres Thursday to 50,000 a day later.

"It's expanding like a balloon," said state fire spokeswoman Nancy Longmore. "It's moving very fast. There's many homes threatened. ... This fire is extremely dangerous."

Six homes and two outbuildings burned Thursday, and 6,000 more are threatened, she said. The number of homes burned could increase, as Longmore said the blaze was moving through rural areas with houses.

FULL story at link.


Smoke rises from a fire near Butte Mountain Road, Thursday Sept. 10, 2015, near Jackson, Calif. Lions, tigers and other cats big and small are being evacuated as California's biggest wildfire continues to spread, possibly threatening the park where they live, officials said Thursday. (Andrew Seng/The Sacramento Bee via AP) MAGS OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT (KCRA3, KXTV10, KOVR13, KUVS19, KMAZ31, KTXL40); MANDATORY CREDIT


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5ffe985c6f2041c99ef6790b6cf693b4/more-evacuations-california-wildfire-rages

[tularetom]

1. Thats about 50 miles north of where I am right now

and its been overcast all day with the smell of smoke in the air.

From this fire and another one to the southeast.

We're down the hill out of the trees so I don't think there's any danger here but I have plowed a firebreak around our fence line just keep any fires from our very dry pasture.

[haikugal]

3. Be safe....won't sparks be flying? You have water?

I'm so sorry to see this.

[tularetom]

4. We have a well and a generator to run it if we lose power

And a 6000 gallon tank full of water.

we're at about 1500 feet elevation well below the pines and that fire would have to jump three pretty deep river canyons to get to us.

We actually boarded horses for about a dozen people who were affected by the Yosemite fires in 2008. But we couldn't do it today, unless somebody hauled in a lot of hay. The grass has been dead since April.

Thank you for your concern, but we really wouldn't hang around here if we thought there was any danger. We've been out here since 1987 and we've been through it before.

[haikugal]

5. I didn't intend anything other than concern.

[musiclawyer]

7. Work there. It's the county seat. Most SA neighborhoods will survive.

But there is so much fuel that it's Murphys I'm concerned about. That's the pulse of the local wine country economy. 25 tasting rooms on three blocks. If Murphys survives tonight , it should be fine. If not , the local economy crashes.....

[tularetom]

8. We were planning a winery run up to Murphys this weekend

But fate, in the form of a great granddaughter's first soccer game, intervened, so we'll be making a trip to San Jose instead.

Hopefully, we'll be able to make the trip next Saturday...

[musiclawyer]

9. Best Mourvèdre on the west coast is in Murphys.

Hatcher, Hovey and Twisted Oak wines can compete with any Napa or Sonoma wines.
Go there first .....Hopefully the town is spared

[stopwastingmymoney]

2. This one is really bad

A friend evacuated early yesterday and hasn't posted an update in 24 hours. I'm worried.

Kick

[Adsos Letter]

6. Spent many a summer there as a kid.

Grandfather was the CDF ranger for Calaveras county back in the day.