Turlock Lake fire burns 55 acres, buildings, injures firefighter
A fire that began Wednesday afternoon at the Turlock Lake State Recreation Area east of Waterford burned about 55 acres, injured one firefighter and went through or around several old buildings at the site, fire officials said.
According to a Modesto Fire Department battalion chief’s incident summary, crews were dispatched to the fire about 2:15 p.m. and spent more than six hours battling it.
A CalFire crew member suffered foot burns and was taken by air ambulance to a burn center in Fresno, according to a Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District spokesman. A CalFire spokesman later Thursday said the firefighter suffered first- and second-degree burns to his feet while doing mop-up on the fire and was treated and released from the hospital.
The fire apparently started along the side of Lake Road, Stanislaus Consolidated Capt. Josh Tucker said Thursday. The cause has not been determined, he said, but investigators reported finding some metal on the ground, suggesting it may have been a vehicle.
No one was in the area, which has been empty since the start of the pandemic, Tucker said. “Winds were not excessive,” he said, but they were enough that the fire was able to hop roadways before crews could catch it.
“The buildings the fire ran through and around are unoccupied,” the captain said. “The area where the fire went through is the old ranger station, where it used to be and where they lived when they were out there. They’re like military-type structures.”
Lake Road is state responsibility on one side, local on the other, Tucker said. Though it ended up being determined the fire was in the area of local responsibility, the CalFire FIRE Tuolumne Calaveras Unit — San Andreas sent a full wildland response, including aircraft, he said.
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This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 9:53 AM.
