Mandatory evacuation ordered for Tuolumne County residents near Donnell Fire

A mandatory evacuation order has been issues for some residents in Tuolumne County as the new Donnell Fire grows.

The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has issued the mandatory order for the following areas: Wagner Tract, Clark Fork Road, Clark Fork, Camp Liahona and Sands Flat.

The blaze began at 1 p.m. Thursday as a vegetation fire near the Donnell Vista off of Highway 108, near Donnell Lake north of Pinecrest. An evacuation advisory was issued Thursday for the Wagner Tract and Clark Fork areas where the Stanislaus National Forest blaze reached 100 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Now the fire is at 500 acres with no containment and the evacuation order has been upgraded to mandatory late Friday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.

Forest Service said hotshot crews have been working Friday to try to get some containment. But they were hampered by access to the very remote and rugged part of the forest with steep terrain and extremely dry conditions.

The fire is visible from the Donnell Vista, a popular overlook for tourists to stop on the way to the Sonora Pass.

This story was originally published August 3, 2018 at 6:52 PM.