As crews work to contain big California fire, another ignites near Yosemite

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Another fast-moving wildfire has broken out in California, this time near a gateway town to Yosemite National Park, prompting mandatory evacuations and a temporary road closure.

The French Fire started Thursday evening at French Camp Road in Mariposa county after a heat wave brought days of scorching temperatures. As of 1:14 p.m. local time Friday, the fire had spread to 843 acres and was 15 percent contained, according to Cal Fire’s Madera-Mariposa-Merced unit.

Some of the 1,100 residents forced to evacuate were allowed to return home Friday afternoon. Also on Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, making it the second infusion of funds California has received this week to fight wildfires.

The French Fire is the latest blaze to ignite in California amid a particularly dangerous fire season. Just this week, 23 fires have broken out across the state, causing some towns to cancel Fourth of July fireworks. Most of the active fires are at least 50 percent contained, with no fatalities reported.

Firefighters halted the spread of the French Fire overnight as the wind calmed. Now they are focused on the eastern side of the fire after hulldozers and fire crews constructed a line on the eastern side of Mariposa. A church has been designated as a temporary evacuation point. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The fire had closed a 1.6-mile section of State Route 140, one of the main roads to enter and exit Yosemite, but it reopened Friday afternoon as firefighters made headway.

Cal Fire crews also made progress in containing the Thompson Fire in Northern California’s Butte County in recent days, toiling amid high temperatures expected to reach 114 degrees Friday. That fire has grown to 3,789 acres and was 46 percent contained as of Friday morning. The town of Oroville, home to roughly 20,000 people, did not escape damage: 25 structures have been destroyed by the fire. In addition, two fire personnel suffered injuries.

Cal Fire has added 200 personnel to the Thompson Fire, with a total of 2,219 personnel working on the mop-up operation — the physical process of extinguishing or removing burning material to make a fire less likely to escape, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Alejandro Cholico, public information officer for the Thompson Fire, said the goal is to be able to “wrap up” the operation by July 15.

“It’s looking really good. We’re continuing our mop-up operations, and our personnel are working diligently with our operators to continue the containment,” he said.

He added that firefighters are using work-rest cycles to ensure well-being and avoid heat injuries.

The wildfire began Tuesday morning. The same afternoon, though unrelated to the Thompson Fire, officers detained a 61-year-old Oroville resident who had set a backfire using a propane torch. He was then arrested on a felony charge of unlawfully causing a fire to wildland. The cause of the Thompson Fire is still under investigation.