French Fire poses 'imminent threat' to Yosemite gateway town of Mariposa; hospital shelters in place

San Francisco Chronicle / July 5, 2024

A fast-moving wildfire forced residents of the historic Gold Rush town of Mariposa to flee Thursday evening.

The French Fire started around 6:30 p.m. Thursday north of town. By the small hours of Friday morning, it had grown to aaround 842 acres, Cal Fire said.

The fire “will likely pose an imminent threat to town itself overnight,” UCLA-affiliated climate and weather expert Daniel Swain wrote on social media Thursday night. “Evacuation are expanding, and conditions will remain very warm/dry though the night.”

SNIP

Evacuation orders were initially confined to the area north of Highway 140. But by 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the evacuation map appeared to cover most of Mariposa itself, including Mariposa High School and several local businesses. A spokesperson for John C. Fremont Healthcare District, located south of the blaze, said the hospital was sheltering in place as of 9 p.m. At that time, the fire was 0% contained.

Link (paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/french-fire-evacuations-19555634.php

According to the link, the cause of the fire is not immediately known. But it does report that perhaps as many as hundreds of fires broke out around Northern California Thursday evening as Fourth of July fireworks sparked on dry grass.

Not saying this is the reason why, but you can't deny the sense: Total ban, entire state, now. Including professional displays. It's insane to let this continue. No more "safe and sane" category either.