Mission Fire forces mandatory evacuations near North Fork

NORTH FORK, Calif. (KFSN) -- A wildfire in the Sierra Foothills forced authorities to issue a mandatory evacuation order for the Cascadel Woods area near North Fork.

The Madera County Sheriff's Office called for residents between Mission and Rainbow Drives to evacuate while crews battle the blaze.

Additional evacuations have been ordered for Sky Ranch Road and all spur roads including Sky Ranch Ln, Sugar Pine Dr, Sugar Pine Ct, Oak Ln, Mountain View Ct, Country Club Dr, Sky Acres Ct, Buckskin Ln and Sunny Oaks Ln. due to the Railroad Fire.

The fire started burning around 1 p.m. and quickly began spread uphill. Officials say it's at 650 acres now and 0% containment. And more than 200 homes are threatened with the residents ordered to evacuate.

Hundreds of fire crews are battling the Mission Fire burning in the Sierra National Forest east of North Fork. Large clouds of smoke filled the sky this afternoon making it hard to miss.

"I saw the big tunnels of smoke coming up just down the road," resident Hailey Hubbard said.

She chose to evacuate North Fork once she saw flames near Cascadel.

"We drove out and I saw it coming down the hill by all the homes the homes were right there and the fire was right there like big red flames above it and just a ton of aircraft doing work," Hubbard said.

A Sierra National Forest Community Protection Officer says at one point, the fire jumped a road blocking about 30 people from evacuating but fire crews eventually got them out.

"We've been hot and dry the last week or so and so it got up on the hilltop and spread rapidly up the hill a lot of grass and brush so spread rapidly," Daniel Tune said.

Tune says crews from all over the state are coming to assist, trying to protect the homes nearby. He says the terrain and heat have made it difficult for crews to get a handle on the rapid growth of the flames, making it that much more important for people to evacuate when they're told to do so.

"When they get the order to evacuate you have to follow the recommendation," Tune said. "It's just too dangerous these fires are extreme right now. Get you out so firefighters can get in."

An evacuation center has been set up by the Red Cross at 39800 Fresno Flats Rd, Oakhurst, and for the latest updates, text "MISSIONFIRE" to 888777.