1,000-Acre Fire Burns Near North Fork

Fire crews continue to battle the 1,000-acre wildfire burning near North fork. The Corrine Fire is burning at Road 222 and Tunoi Place north of Auberry.

As of Friday night it was 5 percent contained.

About 400 firefighters are attacking the fire from the ground and the sky.

According to Cal Fire, it’s burning at a moderate rate, but there continues to be a threat to the North Fork community.

The wildfire started Thursday night and doubled in size overnight.

“You look over and you see a huge fire billowing up smoke," said Sady Bennett, a North Fork resident.

Bennett had to evacuate her home. 

"I loaded up all my valuables, all the childhood memories, my photos, anything expensive," Bennett said.

With flames and smoke still going along Road 222 by Friday evening, evacuation orders were in place for those in the area south of Corrin Road to Kerckoff Lake, but still some refused to leave their homes.

“I don’t know, I just don’t want to leave. I guess if the flames got hella here I would leave, but it’s not bad right now," said Jeffrey Chepo.

Even as fire crews worked to put out flames just a couple hundred feet from his driveway, Chepo chose to stay at his home.

"It’s hot. I drove my car up the road. I could feel the flames, and my windows were up," Chepo said.

About 45 people took shelter at the North Fork Rancheria Community Center. The tribal government opened up it up to everyone in the community who needed a place to evacuate and provided them with food and shelter.

“Our main focus is to actually ensure that our elders are being taken care of as far as helping assist them in evacuations and any other tribal citizens and any other community member at large that needs our help," said Renee Getty, chief administrative officer with the North Fork Rancheria.

There is an evacuation advisory for those in the Cascadel community.

The American Red Cross has also set up shelters at the EV Free Church and Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church in Oakhurst.