Gold Country Firefight Takes to the Skies

TWAIN HARTE, Calif. — Firefighters launched an air bombardment Thursday on a wildfire threatening a housing development in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada foothills.

Nine helicopters and 13 tanker planes dropped water and fire retardant on the 1,360-acre Creek Fire that was burning within a mile of hundreds of homes. Only about 30% was contained by fire lines.

“They’re really bombarding the open area where there’s no line,” said Mary Hale, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

The fire in the Stanislaus National Forest was pushed by 15 m.p.h. winds and threatened homes in the Cedar Ridge development outside Twain Harte, 150 miles east of San Francisco.

David Goldenberg, a spokesman at the fire command center, said the blaze might be fully contained by nightfall Thursday “if the winds cooperate. If they don’t, it’s going to be another tough day.”

The approximately 1,000 firefighters were hampered by steep terrain, thick, dry underbrush in the narrow canyon and temperatures near 100 degrees.

Costs of the fire, which began Tuesday, are $4.5 million and climbing, Hale said.

On Wednesday, about 1,200 people were evacuated from summer camps and homes in the area.

Elizabeth Quirk, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said only about 150 people remained in the evacuation center. About 525 youths from the summer camps had been retrieved by their parents, she said.

Del Albright, operations chief for the Tuolomne-Calaveras Ranger Unit, said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Elsewhere in California, a fire in Amador County that burned 100 acres was contained Thursday morning, state forestry spokesman Jack Doyal said. The cause of that blaze was under investigation.

A new brush fire broke out Thursday afternoon along Interstate 80 near Boca, east of Truckee, consuming 1,000 acres in less than three hours. It was still spreading late Thursday, but no structures were threatened.

And in Nevada, firefighters expected to have full control of the 6,500-acre Holbrook Fire near the California-Nevada border that threatened 300 homes before veering in another direction.

That fire, 15 miles south of Gardnerville, was intentionally set Monday, Stacey Giomi of the Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators said. Officials were looking for clues.

In Sacramento, members of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee sent a letter to Gov. Pete Wilson complaining that his Administration has failed to follow the provisions of a new law designed to help catch arsonists who set forest fires.

The bipartisan group of 14 lawmakers noted that on July 20 the governor signed an urgency statute to set up a toll-free hot line for the public to provide tips on arson suspects. The law also established a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of wildfire arsonists.

The lawmakers said these steps had not been taken and offered to pass legislation to provide extra funding if more money is needed.

Andy McLeod, assistant secretary for resources, said the hot line (1-800-468-4408) will be up and running today. “This has been done as expeditiously as possible,” McLeod said, adding that the hot line had to be integrated into existing regional arson reporting numbers.