With River Fire the size of 15 square miles, Madera County proclaims state of local emergency

Madera County declared a state of local emergency as firefighters continued to battle an aggressive wildfire that’s burning west of Yosemite National Park.

Cal Fire’s last update on Tuesday night estimated that the “River Fire,” which is occurring near the border of the Madera and Mariposa County line, remained the size of nearly 15 square miles (9,500 acres) with 15% containment. That was the same size and containment percentage that Cal Fire provided Tuesday morning.

The wildfire already had destroyed one structure and four minor structures, and still is a threat to 600 other structures, according to Cal Fire.

The Madera County Board of Supervisors said the River Fire has strained local resources, necessitating a proclamation of a local emergency in order to maintain a standard level of public protection for the county.

Proclaiming a local state of emergency also means the county is formally requesting help from state and federal officials.

The River Fire is burning off Road 800 in an area known as Bailey Flats, between Raymond and Ahwahnee.

“We continue to closely monitor this evolving situation,” Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said. “The extreme heat and winds have proven to be challenging for not only fire personnel, but those working to support those efforts. This proclamation will provide much needed resources to support our community in Madera County.

There have been no fatalities or injuries due to the fire, Cal Fire reported.

A total of 1,517 personnel were working on combating the blaze, with 121 engines, 24 water tenders, nine helicopters, 12 hand crews and 25 dozers all in use.

In Madera County, the following roads remain closed:

• Road 600 at Road 619
• Road 600 at Road 612
• Road 800 at Road 613

Madera County evacuation warnings are for:

• Road 600
• Road 612
• Road 415

Firefighters continued to fight fire aggressively and reinforce control lines going into Tuesday night, according to Cal Fire.

Firefighters also were starting mopup efforts and damage assessment.

This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 10:15 PM with the headline "With River Fire the size of 15 square miles, Madera County proclaims state of local emergency."