Oak fire in Tuolumne County now 50 percent contained, officials say

UPDATE, Wednesday, 8 a.m.: Cal Fire officials say the Oak Fire, which has burned an estimated 100 acres in Tuolumne County, is 50 percent contained. There is no word yet this morning on the Tenaya fire burning in Yosemite National Park. The office manager for Somerset Middle School, which brought home sixth-graders from Foothill Horizons on Tuesday evening, said the kids won’t go back up this week but likely will be rescheduled. We’ll have more on these stories later this morning.

Here is Tuesday’s story below.

A forest fire in Tuolumne County has prompted evacuations and is threatening structures about 20 miles northeast of Sonora. Modesto sixth-graders who arrived at the Foothill Horizons Outdoor School on Tuesday morning were sent home as a precaution. Also Tuesday, a wildfire first reported Monday at Yosemite National Park grew, authorities said.

The Oak fire started at about 1:30 p.m. Monday and spread to 100 acres in less than three hours. It was 20 percent contained as of 5:30 p.m.

A home and two outbuildings were destroyed, according to Cal Fire spokeswoman Lisa Williams.

She said one firefighter was injured but she had no details about the firefighter’s condition.

The fire in the Cedar Ridge area started as two fires that combined near Old Oak Ranch Road and Big Hill Road.

At least three educational camps – Foothill Horizons, Sierra Outdoor School and Old Oak Youth Ranch School – were evacuated.

Somerset Middle School Principal Mary Smyth said in a recorded call to Somerset families that as a precaution, students, teachers and staff were evacuated from Foothill Horizons to Sonora Elementary School.

She said the children had activities and snacks at the school. Initially, Smyth said the precautionary evacuation was expected to be temporary, with children back at Foothill Horizons, which is off Lyons Bald Mountain Road south of the fire, for dinner.

But later in the afternoon, staff decided it was in the best interests of the students to return to Modesto. Buses were expected to return the students – about 140 of them – to the middle school by about 7 p.m.

Susan Rich, Stanislaus County Office of Education assistant superintendent of administrative services, said Somerset is the only school with students at Foothill Horizons this week. No Stanislaus students were at either of the other educational camps.

Sylvan Union School District’s superintendent and assistant superintendent went to Sonora on Tuesday to help make the decision whether to return students to Foothill Horizons or bring them home, Rich said.

Smyth said the children were to have returned home Friday. It has not been discussed, she said, whether if the fire is contained the kids might return to the camp for a partial week or return for a full week at a later date.

The California Highway Patrol closed Big Hill Road from Hatler Lumber Co. to Belleview Elementary School. Traffic backed up as residents who live on or off of the closed roads were trying to get to their homes to retrieve belongings.

Homes on Big Hill as well as Kewin Mill Road to the east are being evacuated.

Twenty-seven homes in the area are also without power due to downed power lines. Because of the fire, PG&E cannot get to the lines to fix them and has no estimate on when electricity might be restored.

About 125 firefighters were battling the blaze with 11 fire engines, two air tankers, three water tenders and a helicopter.

There is also a wildfire in Yosemite National Park that has closed some roads and trails but is not threatening structures.

The Tenaya fire started Monday afternoon and has spread to 500 acres.

It is located along both sides of the Lehamite Creek Trail from the north rim of the Valley to Tioga Road. Smoke from this fire is visible throughout the park.

Trails on the north rim of Yosemite Valley south of Tioga Road and east of Yosemite Creek are closed.

The cause of both the Tenaya fire and the Oak fire are under investigation.

This story was originally published September 8, 2015 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Oak fire in Tuolumne County now 50 percent contained, officials say."