OAKHURST, Calif. (AP) – Two raging wildfires in California forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes, including one near a lakeside resort town that burned nearly two dozen structures.
The blaze, sparked Sunday afternoon near Bass Lake in Central California, prompted authorities to evacuate about 1,000 residents out of about 400 homes, Madera County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Erica Stuart said.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said flames damaged or destroyed 21 structures. The Fresno Bee reports one neighborhood was hit especially hard, with several homes turned to ash and smoldering embers.
“This is gut-wrenching,” CalFire Battalion Chief Chris Christopherson told the newspaper. “It makes you sick.”
The fire started off a road outside of Oakhurst, a foothill community south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, and made a run to Bass Lake. Stoked by winds, it quickly charred at least 320 acres, CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.