FRESNO (KMJ) — There’s some good news coming from the site of the Willow Fire today as containment is up and some evacuation orders have been lifted.
Crews have been making good progress on both the northern and southern flanks of the fire, focusing on hot spots along it’s perimeter to bring the blaze under control.
The latest figures as of Tuesday morning put it at 80% contained and more than 5,702 acres scorched.
The mandatory evacuation order has been lifted for those living in the communities of Cascadel Woods and Central Camp, but there are some road closures in the area so anyone returning to their homes will need to show proper identification to get through.
“Everybody’s worried”, says North Fork resident Teri Hennuese. “Everybody’s on pins and needles and we’ve been that way ever since the drought. We keep our properties as clean as we can and that’s all we can do”.
Signs along Highway 41 and around the area where the fire is raging thank firefighters for their efforts controlling the blaze, but dotted between them are CALFIRE signs reminding local homeowners how easily wildfires can start.
“It’s very very unfortunate that we are like a match box right now”, says Coarsegold resident Paula Glick. “Anything we do could cause a fire. You can’t run a weed whip, you can’t run a lawnmower, you can’t do anything without fear of a spark”.
Evacuation orders are still in place for Douglas Ranger Station road and Willow Canyon Road while fire crews continue building containment lines and extinguish hot spots.
However, the number of homes threatened has remained at 450 a number that has remained constant over the last few days.
