California on edge as wildfires spread

Faller Craig Morgan who is responsible for cutting down unstable burned trees walks through a burned area off of Packard Canyon Rd. near Groveland, Ca., as the 16,000 acre Rim Fire continues to grow on Wednesday August 21, 2013. less Faller Craig Morgan who is responsible for cutting down unstable burned trees walks through a burned area off of Packard Canyon Rd. near Groveland, Ca., as the 16,000 acre Rim Fire continues to grow on ... more Photo: Michael Macor, San Francisco Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, San Francisco Chronicle Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close California on edge as wildfires spread 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

Groveland, Tuolumne County --

What was expected to be a bad fire season is turning out to be just that.

Nearly a dozen major fires, some touched off by an unusual string of lightning storms, are burning across California wildlands parched by back-to-back dry winters. Twice as much of the state has burned this year as had gone up in flames at this point in 2012.

One of the worst blazes is the Rim Fire, which raged out of control for a fifth day Wednesday in nearly inaccessible terrain west of Yosemite National Park. Hundreds of Sierra foothills residents fled their homes and three summer camps run by Bay Area cities were evacuated, as the fire grew to 16,000 acres and forced the shutdown of a main road into the national park.

Smoke darkened the skies outside Yosemite, and the crackle of burning oaks and pine resonated from the fire lines. Ash rained down on nearby foothill towns, and warm temperatures, approaching the upper 80s, proved hospitable to the flames.

With the dry months of September and October ahead, authorities don't expect the threat of fire in California to let up anytime soon. They have called up extra firefighters and engines as the peak season nears.

"The conditions we're seeing in August are what we usually see at the beginning of October," said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "We're seeing conditions about a month to two months drier than normal."

Most of the state's fires are burning through back country, and the Bay Area has largely avoided damaging blazes so far this season. But that could change, experts warn.

"If we had a big wind event right now, we would potentially see some bad outcomes," said Max Moritz, a faculty member in UC Berkeley's environmental science, policy and management department and a scholar on wildfire. "We are at that point throughout much of California, including the Bay Area, where we're at a critical dryness."

Widespread fire risk

The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for most of Northern California last weekend because of dry lightning and gusty winds. The warning remains in effect at least through Thursday morning.

"A combination of everything together makes it, in a word, volatile," said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.

Nearly 900 firefighters are struggling to control the Rim Fire, which started Saturday in the Stanislaus National Forest just 3 miles east of Groveland, a town of 600 people. The cause is not known.

The blaze more than doubled in size from Monday to Wednesday, and steep hills and hard-to-reach terrain were complicating firefighting efforts. The fire was just 5 percent contained.

Two homes were charred and more than 2,500 were threatened, prompting evacuation advisories for residents and the three summer camps - San Francisco's Camp Mather, Berkeley's Tuolumne Family Camp and San Jose's Camp Hi-Sierra.

"I just did what I had to do," said Matt Angelo, 33, who was told he should leave his home near Groveland. He had just returned from a weekend camping trip and promptly grabbed his cat, Crikey, and some belongings, and is now staying with family closer to town.

Lake community warned

The latest evacuation advisory, coming Wednesday afternoon, was for residents in Pine Mountain Lake, a vacation community outside Groveland that can number close to 3,000 residents in the summer.

People in the wooded Sierra foothills learn to live with the annual threat of fire, but it's nothing they get used to.

"We're all worrying about each other," Evelyn Cooper, 66, said as she worked the bar at the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland.

Chris Loh, owner of the bar, is one of the residents everyone is worrying about. He's been told the flames are near his wife's family home, the Spinning Wheel Ranch.

"It's scary," Loh said, "but at this point, there's not much we can do."

At one point Wednesday, a woman at the Iron Door announced that the fire was approaching Big Creek Shaft Road, creating a stir among patrons.

"Being the only real bar in town, we get all sorts of information, whether like this or from the firefighters, Loh said. "Sifting through the hearsay, it's pretty nerve-racking."

Last year at this time, trucks passed through Groveland carrying portable toilets for the popular Strawberry Music Festival, residents said. This year, the privies are being brought in for firefighters. The festival, scheduled for next week at Camp Mather, is still on - for now.

Crews called in to help

Crews from fire departments across California are being recruited to help with the Rim Fire, including five engines from Contra Costa County. It's an unusual measure, but this has been an unusual year. As of last week, 92,000 acres of state-managed wildland had burned throughout California, compared with 43,000 acres at this time last year.

"We're usually the last ones to get called out - they try to rely on state and federal resources when they can," said San Ramon fire Capt. Dan Smith. "But when they're stretched thin, you'll see us."

Flames have jumped across Highway 120, one of the main routes into Yosemite, and forced closure of a 4-mile section of the road. The park is still open, but some tourists were reluctant to make the long detours to alternate routes that are open to traffic.

Tourists stay put

They're also reluctant to head home, so many were staying where they were.

"They came from Europe, they came from the East Coast, they came from all over the planet," said Peggy Mosley, owner of the Groveland Hotel, which was filled with visitors. "This is their lifelong trip, and they don't want to give it up."

Closer to the fire lines, others were just as stubborn about staying.

Although smoke was thick near Ty Vamosh's home, he ignored an evacuation advisory.

"I told them there was no way in hell I was leaving my house," Vamosh said. "Everything I own is in here. I'd rather stay here with some wet blankets and put it out myself."

Vamosh was taking precautions: dousing his roof, getting wet rags ready and digging a fire line around his property.

"I've lived up here my whole life, and the only thing I'm really worried about are rattlesnakes," he said. "And that's because I hate snakes."