All Calaveras evacuations lifted as crews make 50% containment on Airola Fire

7:40 p.m. Friday update

The Airola Fire is at 700 acres and is now 50 percent contained, Cal Fire reported at 7:05 p.m. Friday. As of 8 p.m. Friday, all evacuation warnings will be lifted. 

“Firefighters worked tirelessly today towards increased containment and will continue to strengthen containment lines, conduct mop-up operations and patrol,” Cal Fire said in its latest update.

The cause of the fire, which started Thursday between Columbia and Angels Camp in Calaveras County and reached 1,000 acres, remains unknown.

1:30 p.m. Friday update

Firefighters are making headway against the large Airola Fire burning between Angels Camp and Columbia, with containment at 35 percent Friday afternoon, Cal Fire reported today. Some 200 structures remain under threat, but mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted.

Steep and rocky terrain has made access difficult for equipment along the Stanislaus River Canyon and continues to pose a challenge for firefighters, Cal Fire said. With gusting winds possible later this afternoon, fire crews will continue building fire break lines and patrolling hot spots.

Evacuation warnings remain in effect for:

• The towns of Douglas Flat and Murphys
• Vallecito: All of Parrots Ferry Road from the Tuolumne/Calaveras County line at Parrots Ferry Bridge to Highway 4 including Moaning Cavern and Camp Nine Road areas as well as East of Red Hill Road to Parrots Ferry Road.

For the latest road closures and evacuation information in Calaveras County, visit: https://www.facebook.com/Calaveras-County-Sheriffs-Office-1756871757881504 

More:Photos: Caldor Fire burns in Amador, El Dorado counties

6:55 p.m. Thursday update

The Airola Fire is now at 700 acres and is 25% contained, the Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services reported just before 7 p.m. All mandatory evacuation orders will be downgraded to warnings at 8 p.m., the agency said. All other evacuation warnings will remain in place.

Roads that had been closed will also reopen at 8 p.m., and PG&E has turned the power back on in the Parrotts Ferry area.

More:Small vegetation fires in Tuolumne County prompt mandatory evacuation orders in Sonora

“As the public begins to repopulate, please remain vigilant and watch for fire crews and utility resources on roadways,” CAL OES said in a news release.

The evacuation map can be found under the evacuation tab here. 

For more information on what to expect and look for after a wildfire, go to https://www.readyforwildfire.org/post-wildfire/after-a-wildfire/

More:Small vegetation fires in Tuolumne County prompt mandatory evacuation orders in Sonora

3:55 p.m. update

The Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services this afternoon activated an Emergency Operations Center for the Airola Fire, which this afternoon is estimated to be 710 acres with 10% containment.

According to a statement from the agency, approximately 80 residents are in the mandatory evacuation area for Parrot’s Ferry from the southern county line to Highway 4 (including portions of Vallecito), extending east to the Camp Nine Area, and extending west to the Redhill Road area.

An evacuation warning has also been issued for areas north and east of the mandatory evacuation area, extending from near Grant Lane and Highway 4 to the north, Coyote Creek Road to the west and Pennsylvania Gulch to the east.

Calaveras OES is working with Utica Water and the Calaveras County Water District regarding critical water infrastructure potentially threatened by the wildfire and to ensure the critical infrastructure is protected, the agency said.

Information about repopulation timeframes will be provided as soon as fire and safety conditions allow, the agency said.

The evacuation order and warnings map are online at https://calaveras-gis.maps.arcgis.com/ under the evacuation tab. To sign up for Calaveras Alert, visit https://member.everbridge.net/892807736729028/login

12:10 p.m. Thursday update: 10% containment, man arrested behind evacuation zone

The Airola Fire, which is burning just west of the Stanislaus National Forest in Calaveras County, was estimated at 700 acres and was 10 percent contained today, Cal Fire reported.

These evacuations in Vallecito are still in effect: All of Parrots Ferry Road from the Tuolumne/Calaveras County line at Parrots Ferry Bridge to Highway 4 including Moaning Cavern and Camp Nine Road areas as well as East of Red Hill Road to Parrots Ferry Road.

Cal Fire offered more details about the wildfire today, saying “firefighters observed extreme fire behavior yesterday afternoon as the fire made uphill runs and is terrain driven. Critically dry fuels and steep terrain challenged fire crews overnight. Firefighters will continue to establish direct and indirect containment lines today.

More:Caldor Fire continues to grow southwest of Tahoe, smoke hampered air attack Thursday

“Hotter and drier temperatures are forecasted today through the weekend with poor humidity recovery overnight.”

On Wednesday night, deputies arrested a man who breached the evacuation zone, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office reported today.

The man, identified as Richard Serva, 32, of Avery, “approached the roadblock irate and yelling profanities,” the agency said in a news release. He “became increasingly agitate” but eventually walked away at about 11:40 p.m. About 10 minutes later, patrolling deputies discovered Serva on Parrots Ferry Road behind the roadblocks. He allegedly began shouting for the deputies to “take him to jail,” the Sheriff’s Office said, and he was subsequently arrested without incident on suspicion of making an unauthorized entry into an emergency area, public intoxication, and delaying a peace offer in performance of duties, all misdemeanors.

“Looting and or trespassing during evacuations will not be tolerated,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Persons entering evacuation areas will slow and at times stop firefighting progress and the flow of other emergency equipment and personnel from entering to stop or slow the fire. Evacuations are put into place to save lives and protect property. If you are caught interfering with those efforts in Calaveras County you will go directly to jail.”

11:45 p.m. update

All schools in the Vallecito Union School District will be closed Thursday, Aug. 26, the Calaveras County Public Health Division posted late Wednesday.

School closures:

• Albert Michelson Elementary School and Extended Day Program, 196 Pennsylvania Gulch Road, Murphys
• Transitional Adult Education Program, 3670 Church St., Vallecito  
• Hazel Fischer Elementary, 1605 Blagen Road, Arnold 
• Avery Middle School, 4545 Moran Road, Avery 

10:10 p.m. update

According to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, there is no update on how many acres the Airola Fire had burned as of tonight, with containment still reported at zero percent.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for the Vallecito area and are expected to remain throughout the night, the agency posted. Parrots Ferry Road is expected to remain closed through the night, while Highway 4 remains open.

The Calaveras County Office of Education said that Michelson Elementary and Vallecito Transition schools will be closed Thursday out of caution. 

The Sheriff’s Office says it will continue to patrol the evacuated area and work throughout the night.

7:45 p.m. update

A complete emergency road closure is in effect at Parrotts Ferry Road at Highway 4 in Vallecito, authorities said this evening. 

“The road will be reopened as soon as possible. Unfortunately we do not have an estimated time of reopening. Please use alternate routes to avoid the impacted area,” the Calaveras County Public Health Division posted on its Facebook page.

A second evacuation shelter is open at 1445 Blagen Road, Arnold. Evacuees can take their animals to Calaveras County Animal Services or the Calaveras County Fairgrounds (see below).

Residents can sign up for emergency alerts at https://oes.calaverasgov.us/Notifications.

Original story posted at 7 p.m.

Immediate, mandatory evacuations are in effect after a fast-growing wildfire broke out today in Calaveras County, authorities said this evening.

The Airola Fire is now estimated at 1,000 acres and was zero percent contained Wednesday evening. The wildland fire started at about 3:30 p.m. in the Stanislaus River Canyon near the Parrots Ferry Bridge in Calaveras County and had grown from 750 to 1,000 acres just after 6 p.m., the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said. 

The following areas are under immediate evacuation orders, the Sheriff’s Office said:

• ​Vallecito: All of Parrots Ferry Road from the Tuolumne/Calaveras County line at Parrots Ferry Bridge to Highway 4 including Moaning Cavern and Camp Nine Road areas as well as east of Red Hill Road to Parrots Ferry Road.
• ​The towns of Douglas Flat and Murphys are on evacuation warning only at this time.

An evacuation center is being set up at Mark Twain Elementary School, 646 Stanislaus Ave., Angels Camp.

Some Vallecito and Parrotts Ferry Road-area residents are without power, according to PG&E outage maps, and some roads in the area have been closed as fire crews attack the blaze.

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This is a breaking news update. Check back on recordnet.com for more.

Record reporter Elizabeth Roberts covers community and breaking news. She can be reached at eroberts@recordnet.com or on Twitter @eroberts209. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow.