A gold rush-era tourist destination in California is being threatened by a wildfire that has already destroyed 58 homes.
The Town of Mariposa, a destination for many visitors on the way to Yosemite National Park, known for its covered sidewalks and historic wood and brick buildings, is being threatened by the “Detwiler Fire.”
DEVELOPING: California Gov. Jerry Brown declares state of emergency in Mariposa County due to #DetwilerFire, which has grown to 25,000 acres pic.twitter.com/jAXbbIzuR7
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 19, 2017
The massive fire has torched over 70,000 acres, with smoke plumes reaching as far away as Idaho.
It has forced the evacuation of the entire town.
View from Merced, looking towards Mariposa. #DetwilerFire pic.twitter.com/1305eGHwXA
— Executive Edge (@PolicyPlease) July 19, 2017
Via ABC News:
The town of Mariposa, with its century-old saloons and covered sidewalks, normally bustles with summer visitors on their way to Yosemite National Park but the Gold Rush-era hamlet was mostly empty as ash rained down and heavy smoke from a nearby blaze darkened the sky.
The blaze in the Sierra Nevada foothills threatened hundreds of homes and historic buildings, including a wood courthouse founded in 1854 and touted as the oldest active courthouse west of the Rocky Mountains.
The fire did not grow significantly overnight, but state fire officials said Friday that 58 homes and 60 outbuildings have been destroyed. The wildfire has scorched 115 square miles (298 square kilometers), threatening at least 1,500 homes.
A man sits in a lawn chair at his home as flames from the Detwiler fire approach the town of Mariposa, California pic.twitter.com/6lLxZsfdCi
— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 19, 2017
Over 3,800 firefighters have been trying to contain the blaze which came within a half-mile of Mariposa.
According to Cal Fire spokesman Jason Motta, crews were able to keep the fire from hitting the town by dropping red retardant and using bulldozers and hand crews to build fire brakes.
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My sister lost her home and just about everything in a wildfire a few years ago. I feel for people who lose their homes and a lifetime of personal possessions.
One September, many years ago, I drove through a town very close to Yosemite. I think we were at elevation and not far from the park entrance. We stopped to add to our supplies and I remember to this day the beautifully woodsy smell.
I never found out the name of the town. I didn’t see covered sidewalks but I was only passing through. It is a mystery to this day… was the town I drove through Mariposa?
yeah… looking on a map the town could not have been Mariposa. I drove from Sacramento to Yosemite. Still, the sweet, woodsy smelling town I stopped in by Yosemite will be a mystery to me.
yes… the town smelled like cedar in the sun.
If it was the last town on the way to the south entrance (the 41) it should be Oakhurst. My parents lived there for quite a few years.
I love Cali and the West in general but I don’t think I could deal with the threat of wildfires every year. I’d rather deal with the very, very rare occurrence of a Tornado.