Briceburg Fire: 4,400 acres, 15 percent contained, PG&E outages go into effect
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Briceburg Fire has more than doubled in less than 24 hours and is now at 4,400 acres.
According to CAL FIRE, containment remains at 15 percent as 1,300 crew members work to control the blaze.
One structure has been destroyed.
CAL FIRE says crews will work through the night.
Wildfire concerns left approximately 800,000 Californians in the dark on Wednesday, including customers in Mariposa County.
Pacific Gas & Electric said it would shut off power to parts of 34 counties to reduce the risk of starting a wildfire. The power outages will come in stages and will depend on high winds. The Golden State has hot weather and high winds in the pipeline, which makes wildfires more likely to break out.
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A number of warnings and watches are in effect.
Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for both sides of Highway 140 from the Octagon to Buffalo Gulch Road, including the Bug Hostel area and all of Buffalo Gulch Road.
Fire advisements have also been issued for surrounding areas including:
-Colorado Road from Hwy 140 to Davis Road
-All of Davis Road
-Hwy 140 from Colorado Road to the Midpines Market
-Ponderosa Way including all side roads: Deer Park, Leichtlin Lane and Feliciana Mtn Road
-Rancheria Creed Rd.
-Rumley Mine Rd.
A major tourist route to Yosemite National Park remains closed because of the Briceburg Fire that is burning along Highway 140.
Officials are directing travelers to take alternate roads into the park.
"Highway 140 is closed between Colorado Road and incline which impedes the access into Yosemite. Visitors to Yosemite can gain access through Highway 120 and Highway 41," a CAL FIRE representative told Action News. "Some areas are inaccessible by foot so we're dealing with that with aircraft resources."
It is still unclear what sparked the fire, which is burning near the area of last year's devastating Ferguson Fire.
The Ferguson burn scar could help firefighters with their effort because many of the fuels are no longer consumable but it still poses a risk for the things that have grown up for what crews call 'light flashy fuels'.
CAL FIRE officials say the biggest challenge for firefighters is the steep and rugged terrain that's nearly inaccessible for them, so their strongest line of defense is coming from the air.
Tuesday night, just miles from the blaze, CAL FIRE and Mariposa County officials spoke to dozens of concerned residents whose homes are now in an evacuation advisory zone.
"We've been watching the crews go by, the aircraft go by the last two days...still nerve-wracking," said Midpines resident Ben Cunningham.
The outage in Mariposa County is impacting more than 1,800 local residents.
"Our 1,800 residents are all northern county residents. Greeley Hill and Lake Don Pedro subdivision homes," said Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies.
Speaking from experience, Cunningham says after back-to-back years of dealing with wildfires...he knows he has to be prepared.
"We have a lot of stuff packed from Ferguson last year. Still, a lot to pack but worst comes to worst, we'll be ready to go," he said.
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The sheriff's office says they haven't requested mutual aid and are keeping an eye on evacuated areas themselves.
They are asking residents to download Mariposa County Sheriff's Office Alert, which allows county officials to give people the latest details about the Briceburg Fire.
During the day, CAL FIRE increased the number of fire personnel to cope with increased wind speeds - from around 990 to 1,300.
Some of them are igniting controlled fires and burning the unburned fuels between the body of the fire and the containment lines - to ensure the fire does not cross the containment lines on its own and catch them unprepared.
Meanwhile, support crews are clocking in.
Video: 'They'll come back with poison oak and eyes swollen shut'
Maria Avilez, who works for a company that supplies showers, mobile-kitchen units, and refrigeration trucks, says it's always clear how hard the firefighters are working.
"It's crazy because sometimes they'll come back with poison oak and eyes swollen shut. Their clothes smell crazy," she says.
Avilez hopes the job she and her coworkers are doing helps them on the front line.
"A lot of them get happy when they see us - a clean shower and clothes," she says.
The Mariposa County Unified School District has shut down three schools - Coulterville High, Greeley Hill and Lake Don Pedro elementary schools - and is monitoring air quality to see if it needs to cancel classes a third day.
It has also set up satellite classrooms for students living on the other side of the road closure.
A Red Cross Evacuation Center has been established at the New Life Christian Church at 5089 Cole Road, Mariposa, CA 95338. Tips for those evacuating can be found here.
