LAST July 5, 7:35 a.m. The Electra Fire tripled in size overnight, growing from nearly 1,000 acres Monday night to 3,034 acres Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said. There is no detention.
The dozen or so people who were sheltering at a PG&E facility on Electra Road were safely evacuated, Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman said. Most of them were enjoying the Fourth of July at Vox Beach along the Mokelumne River when the flames started. Redman said the fire is believed to have started in the area, possibly over a barbecue or fireworks.
July 4, 7:55 PM The Electra Fire in Amador County has grown to nearly 1,000 acres in a matter of hours after it broke out Monday afternoon, sending up a huge pyrocumulus cloud that could be seen as far away as Sacramento.
Just before 5 p.m., Cal Fire estimated the wildfire at “approximately 75 acres burning at a dangerous rate of spread in dry grass on the North Fork of the Mokelumne.” As of 7:30 p.m., it was already at 959 acres without restriction. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is believed to have started near Electra Road and Highway 49. There are mandatory evacuations east of the Mokelumne Hill area for now, but conditions can change quickly. Check the evacuation map here for the latest information or call or text the Amador Evacuation Teams at 1-209-419-2000. First responders went door-to-door within a two-mile radius of Lake Tabo to let people know they should leave immediately.
A map of the Electra Fire can be seen here:
To make matters more complicated, the fire is burning near a PG&E station on Electra Road. PG&E’s outage map shows thousands of customers in Amador and neighboring Calaveras County are now without power. About 100 people were sheltering in place at the PG&E facility, which was hosting people vacationing at Vox Beach along the Mokelumne River, when the fire broke out, according to KCRA. The Mokelumne River Watershed supplies water to the East Bay Municipal Utility District and provides drinking water to 1.4 million Bay Area customers.
“Steep and rough terrain made ground access difficult, but firefighters are making access,” Cal Fire said in its evening incident report. First responders are also reported to be working to clear fallen trees and debris to reach the PG&E facility on Electra Road; its occupants are not in immediate danger.
OCFA’s Intel 12 in #ElectraFire Amador County. The fire was mapped at 390 acres at 5:06 p.m. pic.twitter.com/fVzbCJ0cMA
— FIRIS (@FIRIS) July 5, 2022
Evacuees can go to the Italian Picnic Grounds at 581 Highway 49 in Sutter Creek or the San Andreas City Hall at 24 Church Hill Rd. in San Andreas. If you have small or large animals, go to the Amador County Fairgrounds. Both directions of state Route 26 from Buckeye Lane to Lower Dorray Road are closed until further notice, Caltrans said.
You can watch the fire on AlertWildfire’s live streaming cameras here.
The Electra Fire burns in Amador County on July 4, 2022.
AlertWildfire/Giveaway
Add Comment